The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1885-02-21 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

DSTONE'S POLICY.  -...The hon. member for Ludlow (Mr. Thompson), in resuming the debate, observed that Mr. Gladstone had been in power for five years, and there had been five years of almost unexampled peace. (Loud laughter.) He contended that the direction of the affairs of this country were in the hands of men who did not believe that whatever they could grab was right. He knew of nothing so likely to cripple a country as burdensome taxation, and it had fallen on Hr. Gladstone's lot to discharge the unpaid debts of his predecessors—(laughter)--and he was sorry to have to say that the great crippling stone set rolling by the Conservative Ministry had not as yet been arrested. (Hear, hear) The Conservative party would have the Government keep England great by repressing other countries; they would have the country seize upon and enclose all the common land of the world; and they would have it prevent other countries doing that which they declined to do themselves. (Applause.) The hon. member for South Wilts (Mr. J. Williams) ridiculed the assertion made by the hon. member for Ludlow that the last five years had been of unexampled peace. He, on the contrary, contended that the past. five years had been an experience of bloody and costly ware. (Applause.) There had not been peace six months altogether during the whole of Mr. Gladstone's Government, and not one of those butcheries had been the result of an accident, but they had all risen in consequence of the misconduct of the Government. (Applause.) He condemned in strong terms the action of the Government in not having sent I out the troops asked for by General Gordon, and he charged the members of the Liberal 1 party with being the murderers of Gordon, Parliament met on Thursday, and he believed that Ministers that night were quaking in their shoes as to the result of their rascally policy in Egypt. (Loud laughter and applause.) The Member for East Essex (Mr. Etchells), in supporting the amendment, urged that it placed in a clear light the deplorable policy of the Conservative party of that House. It was high time that the Conservative party changed their tactics, as something more than abuse and negative criticism of their opponents' policy was expected from them. At the time the Liberal party was returned to power Ireland was on the verge of rebellion. ("No, no.") Hon members said "No, no," but he Would refer them to that celebrated letter written by Lord Beaconsfield, and they would 11,nd themselves condemned, (Applause.) At home and abroad, in Asia litd South Africa, look wherever they might, they would have found nothing but troubles staring them in the face. (Hear, hear.) He contended that there could be no mistaking the exultation which existed in the ranks of the Tory party at Gordon's death. (Loud interraption, during which the Speaker threatened to adjourn the House if several of the members did not conduct themselves in a more proper manner.) The Tory pasty cared no mere about Gordon than they cared for the "man in the moon," except so far as it suited their purpose to abuse the Government. The hon. member for Northampton (Mr. Badha,m), in supporting the amendment, said that the system of carrying on war under either a -Liberal or Conservative Government was radically wrong. War was not carried on for the benefit of the country, but for the benefit of the aristocracy and capitalists. He must protest against the prayers which had been issued by the Archbishop of Canterbury and Bishop Ryle for the protection of the British soldiers from the fire of their enemies. (This announcement was the signal for such an outburst of feeling as has I seldom been witnessed in connection with ' the meetings of the society., several of the Conservative members charging . the Opposition witn.,a,want of Christian spirit in allowingsuch a statement to be made by one of their number, and it was a considerable time before quietness was restored.) The hon, member concluded his speech by referring to the Egyptian qnestion, during which I he stated that kir. Gladstone had ever shown a noble hesitation to she'd blood. The debate was adjourned until next Thursday evening, on the motion of the First Lord of the Admiralty (Mr. Jones), seconded by the Member for East Yorkshire, when the division on the resolution will take place in St. Paul's Schoolroom.