Widnes Examiner. — 1887-01-29 (Widnes, Cheshire, England)

GATE. PROPRIETOR.  LONDON, THURSDAY. The crowd of Liberals who thronged the benches to the left of the Speaker, in the House of Commons to-day, was plainly animated by a spirit long unfamiliar. For three years at least I have not seen the Liberal party so Unaffectedly, jubilant as they were this afternoon. Certainly the session opens in circumstances very different from those which appeared probable so recently as a week before Christmas. The turning point was the resignation of Lord Randolph Churchill. Since then everything has gone well for the Liberal party, and everything badly for the Conservatives. Within twenty hours of the announcement of Lord Randolph Churchill's resignation, Mr. Chamberlain made that unexpected signal of desire for reunion, which will, I venture to predict, lead to happiest results. Since • then misfortune hat steadily dogged the steps of the Conservatives, culminating to-day in the announcement of the defeat of Mr. Goschen at Liverpool. This is a quite unexpected triumph of the Liberal cause. Mr. Goschen and his supporters spoke hopefully of a majority of a thousand. The efforts of the Liberals were bent upon reducing that majority to the smallest possible limits, but they did not look to defeat tie combination of Conservatives and Dissentient Liberals which desperately championedlMr. Goschen's cause. This event, one of the chief topics of conversation this afternoon, has deeply depressed the Conservative party. Among Liberal chiefs the prevailing apprehension is that the end will come too soon. The Government, in deliberately declining to deal with the question of Local Government in Ireland, whilst they wave the red flag of a Coercion Bill before the infuriated Irishmen, simply commit an act of felo de se. With such a programme. they will be able neither to rule Ireland nor to control the House of Commons. A crisis must arise at no distant date, possibly even on the Addrest, and Lord Hartington's power to save them is grievously shaken by the defeat of Mr. Goschen at Liverpool. Mr. Gladstone , foresees the inevitable fall of the Government, and, differing in this respect from some of his trusted lieutenants, hails with enthusiasm the prospect of , once more appealing to the country. But even Mr. , Gladstone, if he Could control affairs,would def3r for • a while his own ret urn to power. In private conversationhe is quite unreserved in the expression of the desire that Lord Hartington should have a ' turn of office before the Liberals come back to their heritage. "We have tried to settle the question of r Ireland," he says, "and have been defeated. Lord ; Salisbury has tried it and failed; now let Lord Hartington have a turn." Lord Hartington, I believe, is not averse to such a proposal. I have heard from one of his councillors that when, in the first days of the year, Lord Salisbury made overtures to him involving his accession to the Premiership he was much inclined to take the office, and was dissuaded only by his father, who did not relish the idea of seeing a Cavendish at the head of a Government practically Conservative. If when Lord Salisbury's tottering Government comes to its fall Lord Hartington will undertake to carry on the business of the session, the attempt would be regarded with friendly interest by the Liberals. What , they fear is the Government being within the next few weeks defeated in the House of Commons and hastening on another General Election before the work of Liberal reunion is completed, and the country has had a reasonably full opportunity of becomcoming familiar with the results of a spell of Tory Government.  RE-