New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-01-27
GORDON AND GLADSTONE.

Comment is made in England. sometimes re-
gretfu. sometimes scornful in tone. upon the
fact that while with difficulty 100000 has been
raised for n memorial to Gladstone. 100000
has been raised with the utmost ease for the
Srdars college and similar schemes in the
Soudan. Some ask If Kitchener alive is six
times rs great as Gladstone dead. and others
If single day of military slaughter counts for
six times as much as sixty years of distin-
guishcd civic services. Such comments are i'll
founded. They altogether fail to touch the root
OF the matter It is not Kitchener that is 10
| be measured against Gladstone. 1t is Gordon.
Or. rather. it is what Gordon stood for In the
Soudan-which Kitchener is revcrently trying
TO fulfl-which is measured against what Glad
stone stood for there. And in such trial Glad
stone must give place to Gordon.
Gordon stood for expansion and Imperialism.
He wanted to extend the cvllizng power Of
Great Britain TO the Soudan States. He want
ed to stop slavery and all the other infames
Of the alien Dervish rule. He undertook to do
the work and he succeeded splendidly. He
gave the Soudan settled and Just government,
suppressed slaveralding, promoted education
and industry and made of tribes nation.
That was his policy, and it is that policy which
Lord Kitchener Is going to re-establsh and
carry to completion. Gladstone, on the other
hand. opposed expansion and imperialism. His
policy In the SOudan was one of scuttle. He
believed in withdrawing from that region and
letting the Dervish slave-drlvers have their
will He would send the whole British Navy,
If necessary. to lombard Alexandria, and the
whole British Army. if necessary. TO slaughter
FCvptians but he would not send one regiment
To save Khartoum and the whole Soudan from
anarchy and to save from martyrdOm the no.
hleSt Christian warrior Of the age.
That Is the contrast that Is Involuntary and
irrcsistibly drawn in British minds to-day. 1t
Is not meant to assa the memory Of Glad
stone nor to deny his rank as one OF the great
est statesmen in English history. But the re-
lentless judgment of history is already fixed
that in his Soudan policy let us say
through evil wish, bpt through hesitancy or
fear or mistaken counse-hc made one of the
few great hlunders of his great career. He was
wrong Gordon was right. And the whole
British Nation sees II to-day save the few Lit
tie Englandcrs who used to drink to the Nah
DIS health II may be that some American
statesmen as pure minded and as we'll mean
ing as was Gladstone are trying to repeat Glad
stones mistake in their policy of scuttle in re-
spect to the lands which we have rescued from
n tyranny scarcely less wicked than that Of the
save-drvers. If so. they are erring in splen
did company but they are erring; and the emil
nence of the example which they follow makes
their error all the less eXcusabe.
Many evils may threaten this country. from
which its friends may wish to save it. But its
most bitter foe could not wish II to suffer worse
dlshonOr than to doom the Philippines 10 such
fate as that 10 which the Soudan was doomed
when Gordon was betrayed. England has re-
pcnted her policy of scutte, her Little England
ISM In sackcloth and ashes. and has atOned
for il with sacrifices Of gold and Of blood. Tho
United States will honor and revere the men,
ory Of Gladstone. But II will not follow him
I'm that awful blunder and betrayal. In such
affairs il will rather emulate the deeds Of Cor
don. the imperialist. and Of Lord Kitchener, the
executor Of his will.