The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-19

OF Lofd BalmerStonS cabinet In iS-q
: Il was in 1912, when Gladstone was Vice
spFesiaent of the Board Of Trade under
Peel. that. for the first time. he had r.
great chance to display his extraordinary
powers as financier and dehater. Eis duty
was to explain to the House the meaning
of revised tariff that had abolished or
reduced duties on 1900 articles The way
he performed this difficult task. which
only man of mathematical and mercan-
tile accomplishments could cope with.
made him recognized as a master Of flnan-
cial statesmanship.
In due course came the free trade strug-
gle in Parliament. and as Gladstone's early
patron, the Duke of Newcastle was pro
tectionist, and Gladstone had become a
thorough convert to free trade. the distin-
guishe6 commoner who had thus far rep
resented the borough of Newark for a
time found himself without a parliament
airy constituency. But as is the English
custom, a candidate may find a consut-
uency in other than the locality Of his
residence, and so in 1917 he again returned
70 the Commons, the representative of the
community where his fame had taken
root-the University of Oxford
Az the death of Lord Palmerston Mr.
Gladstone succeeded him as leader of the
Liberals in the House of Commons, and
when his party regained office in 1868, after
Disraelis first government, Gladstone at
tained the premiership.
Dsraeh and Gladstone were antithises in
personality. Disraelis voice was deep,
low and powerful; Gladstone's higher PEN
etrating, resonant, liquid and of exquisite
meditation. Gladstone loved conversation
Disraeli gloomy silence; Gladstone was in
different to dress, Disraeli was ever fash
ionable in attire; Gladstone had opinions
a rhanoad nfurnal{ -.
no opinions on political questions that any
body knew about. Disrael changed from
extreme Radical TO Tory, Gladstone from
sincere Tory to sincere Radical. Gladstone
was a profound and enthusiastic classical
scholar; Disraeli could read neither Latin
Greek or French. Gladstone had passion
Tor studying everything, and he could talk
about il; Disraelrs ambition was political
and, though he wrote brilliant novels, he
was not in the highest sense literary
man.. Finally, be II said, that in their
long struggle not one breath of scandal
sullied the fame of either man; neither IN
private nor public life. When these two
men first Joined in their long duel 1t was
on a financial scheme brought IN by Dis
raeh, and Disraeli and Lord Derby went
under. The new government was a coali-
ton, and Gladstone became chancellor of
the exchequer. His first budget speech put
him at the head of all financiers of his
day.
Mr.. Gladstone, succeeding Disraeli. held
the premiership for six years. In the per-
iod the Crimean war came on The con-
fiict was ingloriously managed. and the
coalition ministry failed. Palmerston came
In and Gladstone again accepted the chan
cellorship of the exchequer Here, be It
observed, Gladstone for the first time took
Office under a Wing leader; that is to say,
the evolution of his political convictions
had now brought him a distinct stage on
the way to liberalism, though not yet was
he a Radical. Not three weeks did the
circumstances of Crimean disaster permit
him to rest in office; he resigned for
back seat in the house; and@a vlgllant
watch upon the official schemes of his
successor. oxford again returned him.
Mr. Gladstone was friend to the South
ern Confederacy in those troublous days Of
the sixties. In 1862, during the course of a
speech, he declared that jefferson Davis
had made an army, had made a navy,
and more than that, had made a nation
Five years later, however he changed
his opinion. He said: II must confess that
1 was wrong; that l took too much upon
myself In expressing such an opinion.
Yet the motive was not bad. My sympa-
thies were then-where they had long be-
fVW-MIIn
whole American people"
In 1868 came up the great issue of the
Irish Church, that is, the Irish State
Church, maintained in country OF Roman
Catholics. Rockribbed as were Gladstones
principles churchman. and champion
of the Church of England, he could not
approve It's maintenance in a grand divis-
ion of the kingdom where for the majority
1t had neither earthly nor heavenly use,
81
large majority, and Disraeh then for the
first time premier, appealed to the coun-
try The country was deaf; the Liberals.
with Gladstone leading, came into power,
and the Liberal cheftain was now pre-
mer.
He held ID for six years, and again from
1880 to 1885, when he declared himself in
favor of the Irish demand for home rule.
which up to that time he had strsnuously
opposed. The result was a cessation OF
large body of his supporters and his defeat
at The polls in 1ss6-a defeat which the
dauntless veteran afterwards retrieved.
It was In August, 1892, that his great
speech on the home rule project, the GU
preme effort of his old age was delivered
and was cabled across seas and contln-
ents to the waiting nations. Now it was
that the crisis came, and the measure was
triumphantly carried through the House
of Commons For the hOur IL appeared
that Ireland would be lifted into a new
relation with the British empire and With
the world, but the House of Lords, came
to the rescue of the past and the bin for
the home rule of Ireland was negatived.
Thus near the end of his career, in 1898,
William e. Gladstone was obliged TO
give over the project of home rule and
presently to retire from the arena in
which he had so long been the foremost
actor" In doing so, says, Justin McCar-
thy, he shook his hands IN defiance rot
only at the House of Lords, but at that
whole system of aristocratic organization
and ancient privilege which is represent
ed by that house and held as in a keep
unto the judgment of the last day"
In 1898 MIR. Gladstone married Miss Mar
garet Glynne, who was then an heiress, Is
years old She aided and humored her
husband from the first, and made " a
family rule that he should never be con-
tradicted.
The last years of his life were passed at
Hawarden Castle, the property of his
wife, which Is practically in the gateway
to Wales. This residence is on the hills
overlooking the valley of the beautiful
Dee. six miles east of Chester, In a pic
turesaue park of 100 acres. And there he
lived surrounded by four sons. three
"a ~or,ofa arapAohildran xvho