The Portland daily press., 1899-12-19
HOW TO .REMEMBER MAUI.
BA."
Mr.. GIadstone's wisdom when ne RE-
ecaed From the TransvsaI.

Mr.. Gfadstone's Wisdom when ne RE-
ecaed From the TransvaaI.
letter Of . Literal In this London
Chronicle
The s'policy altar Majuba" has pesn 90
much called In question OF late, not
merely by open tories. but also by imper-
ialistio1 liberals, that IL IL In danger Of
becoming quite by-word Of reproaoh.
Old. fashioned followers Of Mr.. Gladstone.
who stili presume {, think OF him 40
prs-sminent In the moral and poll tioal
order, and head and shoulders
above any OF his contemporaries and sue
cessors, will not be likely to abandon
that belief simply because the jingoes
have been crying "Remember Msjuba,"
or because some Of thosa who were anti
lingo 90 years ago have been carried of
their feet By the excited crowd. Lord
Rosebery said az Bath that Mr.. Glad
stone "hsd an ovsrpowsring conviction
Of the might and power Of England. He
thought that Great Britain could afford
to do things owing 10 thst ovsrpowerins
might and dominion which other nations
could not do without being misunderstood.
Eos that reason he sndeavored, after
what was undoubtedly o reverse, TO treat
with the Beers - II no suoh reverse had
taken place. Now We know how that
magnanimity was rewarded. We may feel
perfectly confident, We who follow Mr..
Gladstone. that, were he alive AMI had
he the control OF the dsstiniss OF this
county, It would not be poesiols for him,
nor would IL enter into his contsmpls-
sion he had 70 make terms after this war,
to make terms such as were made after
the skirmish ut Msjuba hill."
Sir Wsmyss Reid rsfsrs TO this speech
In the November number Of the Nine
tesnsh Century. The passage above
quotsd has been treated rs an unsssmly
reflection on the memory OF Mr.. Glad
stone, and Sir Wemyss Reid ridicuIes the
idea that "aiter the iapss OF nearly %
years every liberal mast bs required 90
bear testimony on oath to the sacrosanot
stans sa,d % or e;d ' Nobod aa has r.oui r
this. But ths retrocession of the Trans
vaal was rs Characteristic ns any Of Mr..
| Gladstone's acts, and II 1t IL to be re.
pudiated by tho imperialistic liberals the
| rest Of the party are certainly entitled to
have their say in the matter.
Now, before making what seems to bs
| the obvious reply to Lord Rosebsry, let
| 1t be rememb srsd that it was the govern.
ment Of Lord Besconshsld which had
annexed the Iransvsal, and deprived the
Boei s of their local salt government; that
when the liberals came into office In
II $50, fresh from vindicating the claims Of
Bnlgsrians. Montsnegrins and Greeks.
they had consistently condemned the sup
preston of the liberties Of the Beers; and
that, in ohediencs to military instincts
and advice. they had given our generals
a chance Of putting down ths insured
tion Of the Transvaal, though convinced
all this time that the Beers were fighing
for their rights. II was 10 these oircum-
stances that N. Gladstone, who never
shrank from calling himself Christian,
and whose love Of Justice and moral
courage we're. as Lord Rossbery says,
"sublime, +" rsvoltsd against tho pers 'ou-
tion Of what would have bean terrible
war Of unjust oppression, and suddenly
declared TINT he would have ne more
blood outlines. Than It was that Lord
Kimberley instructed Sir Evelyn Wood
to tell the Boers that II they ceased thsir
oppc sition to the forces Of the queen. he
believed In the possibility Of o peaceful
ssttiement-no doubt imply Ing that their
internal Independence would be restored
| to them.
This wsss the "poliey after Majuba."
Was IL right or was IL wrongf Judged
| from the bishest standpoint. not from
the standpoint Of iingoism and aggressive
foros, 1t was Christian, moral, magnani-
mous-but was It not also In the best
sense stAtesmanlike, wise. and certain
in the long run. II steadily maintained,
| co end in peace and sscurityf Nothing
that has since happened In South Africa
has In any way proved that MIR. Glad
| stones policy was mtsake. What has
! teen proved IL that Engl ishmen have not
been able to live up to NJ. GIadsone's level
Beers have been difficult to get along
with. and have even affected to regard
the magnanimity as a sign Of weakness,
| that does not condemn the magnsnimity,
any more than Justice 10 condemned by
those who repudiate 1t. Beers and Brit.
| ish would have gone on for some time
longer rubbing each other the wrong
way, and another 20 years might have
| passed before they showed distinct signs
of approximation and assimilation. But,
with continued peace, these things wsre
| bound to come.
the raid, the intriguss Of Mr.. Rhodes and
| the subsequent negotiations" OF Mr.
Cham berlain, which have brought US to
or pre sent pass. What have they to do
with magnaDinit How do the disprove
that MIR. Gladstone was right In thinking
tnat tne pSWtF huu uignhy Vi Nfoas
Britain warranted him In doing . bril-
liantly moral and maGnanimous deed In
her manner
or course he was warranted, and all the
worthisst men in the world applaudsd
him for Ii. instead Of tamsly allowing
that he made mistake, and admitting
that M-. Cham berlain has found wiser
and better mode OF statesmanshiP, iiber-
ais might do we'll to chow a holder front
in times like theee, to abide by their
principles when they are most unpopular,
and to walt patiently for tho turn of the
tide.