The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-07-17

M... -"NLA
his reputation rs a statesman stands somewhat
too high. There were, he said. two things es-
pccially conspicuous about Peel. One was his
ovcrmnstering sonsc Of public duty, tho other
thing was hls sense OF measure. With regard
to the lattor Characteristic, Gladstone observed
that Peel had generally an exact sense OF the
proportion between one bill and the gem
eral policy OF the Government; also oil the
proportion between tho different parts OF
tho same bill. and Of the relation In
which the leaders OF a party stood to
their followers" 10 wont on 20 cx-
plain that what was meant by this sense OF
measure would be understood II an instance
wero mentioned in which such tact was con-
spicuously wanting. "Rhortly II think after
the Reform bill. the Conservative leaders had
got the party into a state of what seemed hope
less confusion. 30 much SO that one night
they were preparing to send In their resigna-
lions. Fortunately for them. Lord Grey made
an attack on the party as a whole. This irri-
tated tho followers so that they rallied under
their leaders, and tho party held its ground"
1t is we'll known that Peel was no phrase
maker, like Disraeli and Bright. nor did he
over make professions OF austere integrity. but
concerning the depth Of his sense OF public duty
Gladstone remarked on another occasion:
The great virtue OF Peel was that he had
such an enormous conscience. Conscience.
they say. is n very expensive thing to keep;
Peel certainly kept one" Our author re-
called tho fact that Peel had been com
| pared by Disracli TO the Turkish Admiral
who treacherously stored the fleet under his
command into the enemy's harbor; it was
I further suggested that In the matters OF Cath
Ollie emancipation and free trade other men
had labored and Peel had reaped the harvest OF
thor labor. Gladstone answered.: Yes. But
when he had finally made up his mind he
stuck to 1t INTELLECTUALLY. His great failure was
in regard to ireland. He thought he could
cobble up the Irish difficulty by endowing
Maynooth aud establishing what tho strong
Protestant would call goddess colleges" Glad
stone thought that in one instance Peel, with
the best motives. had done the Irish a great
injury. Ec passed the Encumbered Estates
act. 1T is fair to say that when the cottiers
improved their land the old landlords did not
tread on the heels of the improvement. But
after tho passing Of peelis act, when any
land came to be sold. the buyer nat
urally wanted to get the full value
OF his money; and so the poor ten
ant lost all the value Of his improvements"
Gladstone went on to notice as amusing the
fact that in tho new National Biography"
only fifteen pages are given to Peel and twenty
pnees to Parnell. Thereupon his interlocutor
remarkcd: "You onco told me that Parnell's
speeches reminded you Of Lord Palmerston's
in their way Of expressing exactly what the
speaker meant TO say. But. Of course. you
would call Parnell a pigmy compared with Lord
Palmerston." Gladstone replied: Il should
not call him anything OF the sort. He had
statcsmanlike qualities. and / found him a
wonderfully good man to do business with IN
til 1 discovered him to be n consummate liar"
1t is a pity that Mr.. Tollemnche did not elicit
the grounds on which this surprising charge Of
mendacity is u evelled against Parnell. Instead
of doing 30. he proceeded to ask what sort Of
q place in history Gladstone would assign to
Lord Palmerston. The response was: If
we take our former standard OF measure
ment 1 should say that. il Peel has fifteen
pages Of the National Biography Palmerston
should have ten or twelve" Gladstone went
on to say that Palmerston had two admirable
qualities, to wit: al intense love OF c%onstitu-
tional freedom everywhere and n profound
hatred of negro slavery. One would like to
learn how this imputed hatred Of slavery could
be reconciled with Palmerston's good wishes
for the success OF the Southern Confederacy.
which would have rendered slavery iueradica-
BILE. One signal service. indeed. Palmerston
rendered to Ireland: he appointed the Devon
Commission. which collected facts proving the
Irish to DO the most oppressed. the most miser-
able, and the most patient population in
Europe; but he did not make any practical
use OF tnlS knowledge. L SnOulu not GScrlDe 10
him the overpowering conscientiousness which
I ascribet to Peel" Gladstone presently qualified
the slur apparently conveyed in the last sentence
by declaring that he would not say OF Palmer
ston that he had q crooked conscience. An
illustration will best show the fault that I find
in him. When the troubles were first arising
between Prussia and Denmark. Palmerston
said that II the Danes were attacked they would
not stand alone. They were attacked. they did
stand alone. and Palmerston did not resign
Mr.. Tollemache suggested that Palmerston
may have thought that the cause of Denmark
would be warmly supported by England. Glad
stone rejoined: He had no business to think.
There was an Elton master named Heath who
had an odd sort Of dry humor. When he was
going to send a boy up to be logged. and the
boy began to make excuses. saying. 1 thought
so and So he used to say. No boy has any
business to think until he gets to the Upper
Division And 80 palmcrston had no business
to think until he had learned what the country
was prepared to do"