The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-10-25

ds u lorN OF Nhe Torres, III lS5S, not ofiiy
did he Oppose the abolition Of slavery,
but he voted fer tie worst clauses Of the
Irish Coercion bin of that year, and fought
aga inst the admission of Jews tn PariR-
rrcni. lie also " sisted the admission OF
D,sseniers to the Universities. which he
described A. s~riirar,es for the Established
Church He supported the existing corn
laws, He opposed notion for the aba
liticn If military ana naval sir-cures and
another mot ion for the abDlN tOli of hogging
in the army, except for mut my and drunk
enncss. He voted against the ballot a re-
form that WIS 10 bc carried by his own
Government forty wears later.
Gladstone was not quite % wears old
VIXEN, IN December, 1884, Sir Robert Peel
having been invited to form Government :,
made him one cf the Lords Of the Treas
ury. This appointment was noted at the
time as an innovation upon a semi-sacred
socia! usage Sir Robert Inglis said TO him,
"You are about the youngest lord who was
ever placed at the Treasury on his own
account and not because he was his fathers
SON Within about a month he was pro-
noted to I've Under Secretary for the Colo
MES. Lord Aberdeen being at the head or
the Colonial Office. Mr.. Gladstone first
glimpse OF Official power and responsibility
was but momentary, for in April. 1885,
Sir Robert Peel resigned. OF his Parlia-
mentary career during the following six
years two incidents deserve commemora-
ton. In 1887 Sir William Wordsworth had
been invited to come forward as candidate
for Leeds. report spread that Sir Will
liam was not believer in the Christian
art icles Of faith. Somebody wrote to Moles-
worth to know IL this were true. He an
swered that the question whether he was
a believer in the Christian religion was one
that no man Of liberal principles should
propose TO another, or could propose with
out being guilty of a dereliction Of duty.
Touching this incident Mr.. Gladstone said
that he would ask: "Is it not a time for seri-
GUS reflection among moderate and candid
men Of ell parties, when such quest ion
was actually thought impertinent inter-
ference? Surely they would say with him
that men who have no belief in the divine
revelation are not the men to govern this
nation, be they Wings or Radicals The
biographer's comment on the young man Z
exhibit ion of intolerance is: Long, extra
ordinary, and not inglorous. was the
ascent from such position as this TO the
principles SO nobly indicated in the speech
on the Affirmation bill in 1883,
In the Ministry formed by Sir Robert
Peel in August, 1s4l, Mr.. Gladstone was
invited 10 take the post of Vice-President
OF the Rcard Of Trade. About two and
half years previously he had brought out
the book on Church ard State which
caused Nacaulay 10 describe him in the
Edinburgh Rerieu as the rising hope Of the
stern and unloading Tories. Lockhsrt
said of him that, though a hazy writer.
Gladstone had shown himself considerable
divine, Ar d il was pity that he had entered
Parliament, instead of taking orders, Sir
Robert Peel asked impatiertly why any
BODY with 50 fire career before him should
go ont of his way to write books The
work made no converts in theory, and
was pretty promptly cast aside in practice
The fourth edition fell fiat,
In after years Mr.. Gladstone said of his
qualifications for the office Of Vlce-Presi-
dent Of the Board OF Trade: Il was totally
ignorant both Of political economy and
Of the commerce of the country l might
have said. as believe was said by former
holder OF the vice-pyesidercy, that my
mind was, III regard to all those matters,
a sheet Of white paper except that it was
doubtless colored by a traditional preju-
dice in favor OF protection. which had then
quite recently become a distinctive mark
Of conservatism Gladstone's assumption
of the post, however. was followed by
l.. A Il 4
himself said afterward, every day so spent
beat like a battering ram on the insure
fabric Of my official protectionism. BY
the end Of the year ! was far gone in the
opposite sense
1t was largely upon Mr. Gladstone that
the burden Of framing and passing the
tariff Of 1912 fell he spoke l2o times during
the session and it was evident that his ad-
mission to the Cabinet could not be long
deferred In the spring of the following
year he was promoted from the vice-presi-
dency to the presidency of the Board OF
Trade, and a seat in the Cabinet was given
him. He was not yet "a years old, and
had been only little more than a decade
in Parliamentary life. Canning was 81
before he gained the same eminence, and
had been thirteen wears in the House. 1t
is we'll known that In February, ls45. Mr..
Gladstone resigned from the Peel Cabinet
because he did not approve Of the Premier :
plan to increase the grant Of public money
to the Maynooth Seminary for the training
Of Catholic priests.
The popular verdict on his resignation
was that the act was piece Of political
prudery A journalistic wag observed
that "a lady's footman jumped of the
Great Western train. going forty miles
an hour. merely to pick up his hat Pretty
much like this act, SO disproportional to
the occasion, is Mr. Gladstone's leap out
of the Ministry to follow his book y, because
the principles advocated in Church and
State were irreconciable with the pro-
posed grant to Maynooth Seminary In
December. 1916 however, Mr.. Gladstone
reentered the Peel Cabinet az Secretary
for the Colonies OF course, the accepta nc q
of Office vacated his sea at Newark and
Mr.. Gladstone declined to offer himself
again as a candidate for that borough
having alienated the Duke of Newcastle
by his deserton-the Duke called il be-
trayal-of the Protectionist cause. After
trying in vain 10 get seat elsewhere. Mr.
Gladstone remained from December, 1915
until the resignation Of the Peel Govern
ment in July, lS46. Minister of the Crown
without "A seat in Parliament. In our own
day such state Of things would be looked