The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-05-19

der the title of "Gleanings of Past
Years" Early in the same year. (1S19,
he had been invited to become the Lib
cral candidate for Midlothian, and thu
browning incident of the electoral cam
paign in the ensuing Parliamentary re-
cess was his visit to Scotland in con
nection with his purpose Of contesting
that county mt the general election. lie
set out from Liverpool for Edinburgh Ola
November a, and from that date, with
the exception Of two days rest ut ray
mouth Castle, his life till his return to
laWardcn on December 9, was long
succession of enthusiastic receptions ana
unwearied speech-making in cOndemna'
ton of the policy of the Conservative
government In the course of this tour
he delivered the Rectorial Address be
fore the University of Glasgow (Decem-
Der 81 On the dissolution Of Parlia-
ment at Easter, 1889, Mr.. Gladstone
renewed in Midlothian the Oratorical
tours de- force Of the preceding winter,
and he was successful in his candiature,
polling ,J97 votes against .3GS recorded
in favor Of the Earl Of Dalkeith, his
Conservative opponent When the com
position Of the new House of Commons
was made known. it appeared that it
tivcs, and 90 Home Rulers. The Earl
of Beaconsfeld rendered his resignation
to the Queen as soon as it was mani
fest that the Liberal party had obtained
an unuuestionable majority. The Mar
ouis of Harrington. who had been leader
Of the opposition in the lower house,
and Earl Granville, the opposition leader
I'm the House of Peers, were sent for
by Her Majesty in the first inst AVE,
| but. in accordance with consultations
among the chiefs Of the party, they re-
commended the Queen to entrust the
task Of forming a Cabinet to Mr.. Glad
stone He consented to accept the du-
| ty april 23) and his Cabinet was con-
structed with "A view to concihate and
to represent the different sections of the
| Liberal majority. Mr.. Gladstone him
self superadded to his duties as First
| Lord of the Treasury the functions of
| Chancellor Of the EXchequer, but he re-
| signed the latter office in 1888 into the
hands Of Mr. ChilderS The history of
| Mr.. Gladstone's second Ministry may he
| summed UP in three wOrdS-lreland
| Egypt. Franchise-though, of course, q
| large number of other matters tsuch as
/ Mr.. Chamberlain's Bankruptcy Bill and
| Merchant Shipping Bid were long I'M
der consideration. Ireland was the
| great question during the sessions of
| 1880 (May-Augustl 1891. 1892, and the
debate on the Compensation for Disturb
ance Bill on Mr.. Forster's Coercion
| Bill and (after the murder of Lord
| Frederick Cavenish and Mr.. Burke. May
| 6. 1882. on the Crimes Bill occupied
the greater part of the time and atten-
| ton of the country. What prolonged
and exaSperated the discussions was the
method of obstruction invented and prac-
| ticed not only by the followers Of Mr..
| Parnell. but also by some members of
the Tory party. After the passing of the
| Crimes Act, which closed Il period OF
| almost uneXampled Parliamentary and
administrative difficulty Egypt began to
Iocccupy the mind of Parliament.
| The struggle with Arabia
| "a. W came to Il head in July, when Sir
| +. Seymour (now Baron Alcester) bonn
| barded the forts of Alexandria: and
was ended on September ID. when Sir
| Garnet WolSeley won the battle of Tel
| eIykbir But Mr.. Gladstones difficult
| ties were only just beginning The re-
volt of the Arab tribes Of the Soudan:
| the destruction of Hicks Pasha's Egyp-
| tian army. the two Suakim expeditions.
| the dispatch of General Gordon to
| khartOum, and long afterwards of Lord
Wolseleys relieving force. the advance
of this latter. it's difficulties and its hard
won victories, its failure to reach Khar-
toum in time to save Gordon-these
| things are too fresh in the public mem
| DRY to need detailed repetition. The
session of 1884 was occupied as far as
home politics are concerned with the
Franchise bill--a bill for extending
household suffrage to the counties, and
thus completing the democatising of our
constitution. Passed in the House of
Commons, it was thrown out by the
Lords, who. under the guidance of Lord
Salisbury, declined to pass it until the
Redistribution Scheme was before
them. But after an autumn of popular
demonstrations a series of conferences
between the Liberal and Tory leaders
were held, in which the lines of Re
distribution Bill were settled. In 1880
| both bills were passed, but very shortly
afterwards, on June 9, of the same year,
Mr. Gladstone was overthrow by Il
vote on the budget and the Conserva-
tives, under Lord Salisbury's leadership,
| came into power.
n s1IlNl IL ClCNllOn tObh pidNN III Nv
vember, just five months after Mr..
Gladstones defeat and the Liberals
were successful. Their strength num-
erically, was about equal to that of the
Tories and Parnelites combined.
When Mr.. Gladstone returned to office
| he announced his readiness to introduce
a Home Rule measure for Ireland. and
this created dissenson in the Liberal
ranks and practically broke up the party.
Lord Harrington and others declined TO
| accept offices, and Mr.. Chamberlain and
Mr.. Trevelyan only accepted on grounds
which subsequently proved untenable.
In Il powerful and lengthy speech, Mr..
Gladstone introduced his measure of
Home Rule on April s. The day will be
long remembered by those who were in
the House. and the tens of thousands
who read of the scenes and stirring in
cidents which occurred before, during
and after the speech. The following
day. at the second reading the bill
was rejected 10y a majority of thirty.
Mr. Gladstone then appealed to the
country but was overwhelmed as a re-
suit, and the Conservatives and Unionst
Liberals won by large majority Mr..