The San Francisco call., 1898-05-19


 reforms under other Ministries, that discontent had gradually been foment- ing, and when MT. Gladstone asked TOT the confidence of the country in 1874 on fresh proposals of beneficial finance, he found he had lost 1t. MT. Disrael1 took office and was in Downing street until the spring of 1880.
 There is some reason to believe that MT. Gladstone at this time contemplat- ed retirement from politics. He did remain In the House of Commons, but not as leader of the Liberal opposition. He abdicated his functions in favor or Lord Harrington, and, as the phrase went, was Achilles sulking in his tent. It thus happened that when Lord Bea- consfield was defeated at the election in 1880, Lord Harrington was asked to form a Ministry, but declined. The victory had been won by MT. Glad stone in the Midlothian campaign. Suc- cessively he had been busted from Lan- cashire and from Greenwich as const1t- uencies, and he had repaired to Ed inburgh and the county Of Midlothian for a seat, and there he delivered series of speeches so stirring ana DOW erful that they made the whole country ring with the enthusiasm of Liberalism, and the Tories were routed everywhere decisively. The majority at MT. Glad stones back for his second Ministry was beyond precedent.
 This was also a hard-working Parlla- ment. Two or three Radicals for the first time joined the Ministry, including Sir Charles Dilke, MT. Chamberlain ana Mr. MandeIla Almost an avalanche or legislation was set in motion, and much of it related to Ireland. Another lrlsh land bill was carried to remedy defectS in the former one, mostly que 10 the selfish landlordism of the House or Lords The question of home rule was now taking shape '-nder MT. ParnelPs leadership of the then limited but de- termined Irish party, and Irish difficult ties contributed in no small degree to run down Mr. Gladstone's majority and introduce dissension into the Min istry. MT. Bright resigned from con- scientious objections to be in any sense responsible for the war in Egypt to suppress Arabi's rebellion, and MT. Forster, who had been plotted against basely by Mir. Chamberlain, resigned because a halt was called to coercion in Ireland under his Secretaryship- Lord Frederick Cavendish succeeded MT. Forster, and upon going to Ireland 10 begin his duties was, along with Under Secretary Burke, murdered Tn Phoenix Park by the Invincibles. This atrocity had the effect or cancenng all Irish reform proposals at the mo- ment. At the death of his attached friend Frederick Cavendish, MT. Glad stone was deeply moved. He had con- fidence in his capacity and sincerity for his position, and had probably some complete change of policy in view when selecting him. His first sentence in moving the adjournment Of the House of Commons after the event was, A heart that was full Of love TOT lrelanu has ceased to beat"
 The Tories came to power agaln Tn 1885 under Lord Salisbury, buS In the following year, under reformed elec- torate and a complete change or con- stituencies which now return as Tar as possible single members, both in coun- ties and boroughS, MT. Gladstone took the Premiership for the third time and preached his home rule proposals for Ireland. The Irish Nationalists now numbered over 80 out of 103 members returned by Ireland, and the question had assumed an entirely new phase. IL was the paramount question or vital politics and must be faced. By means of obstruction or filibustering MT. Par nell had hamstrung the House of Com mons pretty much as he pleased from 1880 onward, and had easily evaded all the rules of debate framed tc suppress obstruction. Mir. Parnell was still the master, and what might he not do with eighty-five members behind him? The Premier's measure split the Liberal party up and dissolved his majority.
 Defections broke out in the Cabinet and in the rank and file. MT. Cham berlain was one of those who severed allegiance, and from that day drifted farther and farther apart from Liber- alism, and joined the Tories under their disguise of Liberal Unionist. The home rule bill was defeated by the weak -kneed Liberals and the solid phalanx of Tories, and then for six years MT. Gladstone and his party were out of office, and Lord Salisbury was Prime Minister. When MT. Glad stone again formed a Ministry in 1892 he had a substantial majority of Az, including the Irish vote. This was proof assuring that the education of the constituencies on the justice of his so- lution of the Irish question had pro- ceeded favorably. In spite of numer- ous difficulties and a indignantly bit ter opposition which went far to strip the House of Commons of it's traditions of being composed of gentlemen, MT. Gladstone carried his home rule meas ure brilliantly. It went to the Lords, and they killed it by vote never be- fore heard of in the largeness of it's majority, but MT. Gladstone declined to recognize club of Tories as of any weight against representatives re- turned by constituencies, and refused to dissolve Parliament at their behests.
 Only the desire to do justice to Ire land kept MT. Gladstone in power at