CHAPTER III

Whitsuntide Recess Speeches-Lord Salisbury at Glasgow-The Influenza- The

Irish Land Bill in Committee-The Newfoundland Fisheries Bill in the Com-

mons-Bye-Elections-Speeches by Lord Hartington and Mr. Goschen-The

Irish Land Bill passed by the Commons - Useful Bills in the House of Lords

-Mr. Balfour at Women's Liberal Unionist Association-Proposed partial

abandonment of the Crimes Act-Free Education-Great Britain and Portu-

gal-The Duke of Argyll on the Crofter Districts-Home Rule omitted from a

Liberal Programme-Letters by Mr. Chamberlain and Sir W. Harcourt-The

Baccarat Case-Manipur-Strong Speech by Sir J. Gorst-Deputations to

Lord Salisbury-Imperial Federation and Trade with the Colonies-Mr. Par-

nell at Bermondsey-Factories and Workshops Bill-Elementary Education

Bill-The Irish Land Bill in the House of Lords-Lord Hartington and Sir

Henry James at St. James's Hall-Sir W. Harcourt at West Islington-Visit

of the German Emperor-Elementary Education Bill in the Lords—Mr. De

Cobain--The Speaker and Mr. Atkinson-Civil Service Estimates-Statement

on Irish Distress-The Dynamite Convicts-The Indian Budget-Lord Salis-

bury at the United Club--Mr. Parnell at Newcastle-Mr. Chamberlain on

Africa Sir G. Trevelyan at Downend--Mansion House Banquet to Ministers

-Sir W. Harcourt and the Wisbech Election-Mr. Morley on Rural Ques-

tions

page [115

CHAPTER IV.

Mr. Morley at Stoneleigh Park-Mr. Balfour at Plymouth-The French Fleet at

Cronstadt and Portsmouth-The Lewisham Election-The Unauthorised

Home Rule Bill-Mr. Gladstone on the Bye-Elections-The Trades Union

Congress--The Sigri' Scare-Sir M. Hicks-Beach on Rural Reform-Mr.

Morley's Recess Programme-The Evacuation of Egypt-Sir William Har-

court at Ashton-under-Lyme-Sir Edward Clarke on the Achievements of the

Government-National Liberal Federation at Newcastle-Mr. Gladstone's

Speech-Deaths of Mr. W. H. Smith and Mr. Parnell-The Leadership of the

House of Commons -Bye-Elections- Mr. Chamberlain's Campaign-Mr.

Morley in Lancashire-The Church Congress-Mr. Goschen's Finance and

its Critics-The Allotment Question and Agricultural Voters-Lord Salisbury

at the Guildhall-The Home Rule Bill by the Duke of Argyll-Lord Harting-

ton on the rôle of the Liberal Unionists--The Conservative Association at

Birmingham-Lord Salisbury's Address-The Struggle for the Rural Votes-

Mr. Chamberlain and Mr. Morley-The Local Government Bill for Ireland-

Mr. Balfour's Speech at Huddersfield-Mr. Goschen's Currency Proposals -

The Rural Labourers' Conference-Mr. Gladstone's Speech--The State of the

Army-Mr. Chamberlain at Edinburgh-Death of the Duke of Devonshire-

State of Parties

[162

CHAPTER V.

SCOTLAND AND IRELAND

· [233

75

131

213

ANNUAL REGISTER

FOR THE YEAR

1891.

PART I.

ENGLISH HISTORY.

CHAPTER I.

The Irish Leadership-The Behring Sea and Newfoundland Fisheries-Mr. J. Morley at Newcastle-The Unionist Position-Lord Salisbury at CambridgeLord Hartington on the Situation-The Hartlepool Election-The Strike at the Post Office-Reassembly of Parliament-The Tithes Bill-Mr. Goschen on the Currency The Plan of Campaign in Parliament -The Boulogne Negotiations Lord Hartington at the Liberal Unionist Club-The Religious Disqualifications Removal Bill-Marriage with Deceased Wife's Sister Bill-Mr. Morley's Vote of Censure-Church Disestablishment in Wales-Army and Navy and Civil Service Estimates-The Scheme of National Defence-The Naval ProgrammeIrish Distress and Relief Works Mr. Stansfeld's Resolution-Registration of Voters-Agricultural Holdings-The Temperance Question and Local OptionConflict of Labour and Capital-Colonial Federation and Free Trade-The Newfoundland Fisheries Bill in the House of Lords-The Bye Elections- Mr. Gladstone at Hastings.

THE disorganisation of the English Liberals, consequent upon the refusal of Mr. Parnell to temporarily withdraw from political life, made them shrink as much from platform speeches as from Parliamentary opposition. Pending the result of the negotiations between Mr. Parnell and Messrs. O'Brien and Dillon, who had come to Boulogne to discuss the question of the Irish leadership, the Liberal leaders were unwilling to take action. These had clearly defined the attitude they were prepared to adopt towards Irish Home Rule, which they would press forward only on the understanding that Mr. Parnell should stand aside. This had not, it is true, been the attitude they had originally taken up. They had at first wished to leave the Irish to settle for themselves the choice of their leader; but the "Nonconformist conscience," after a short hesitation, had been aroused, and forced B

Mr. Gladstone and his colleagues to break openly and completely with the member for Cork. At the same time, the Unionists were loudly calling. upon their opponents to say how much of Mr. Parnell's revelations as to the Home Rule scheme were true, and how it was proposed to satisfy high aspirations for a paramount Parliament in Dublin with the oft-repeated promise of Imperial control at Westminster. Under such circumstances a prudent reserve was obviously the best as well as the most convenient policy; and events had had time to ripen before Mr. John Morley, as the spokesman of his party, was called upon to give a lead to his colleagues and followers. By this time, too, public opinion and the Nonconformist conscience were alike in a calmer state; and Mr. Gladstone had had the opportunity of explaining his former attitude towards Mr. Parnell, which had given rise to some misconception. In his letter to Mr. John Morley (Nov. 24, 1890) on the subject of Mr. Parnell's leadership after the proceedings in the Divorce Court, Mr. Gladstone had written :

"Having arrived at a certain conclusion with regard to the continuance at the present moment of Mr. Parnell's leadership of the Irish party, I have seen Mr. McCarthy," &c.

Again, lower down, speaking of "the conclusion at which, after using all the means of observation and reflection in my power, I had myself arrived," Mr. Gladstone wrote:

"It was that, notwithstanding the splendid services rendered by Mr. Parnell to his country, his continuance at the present moment in the leadership would be productive of consequences disastrous in the highest degree to the cause of Ireland."

The conclusion drawn from these words by Captain Price, M.P. (Devonport), and others was that Mr. Gladstone had only suggested that Mr. Parnell should retire "for the present," presumably until the next general election. This inference Mr. Gladstone hastened to correct, and declared that the "retirement of which I spoke to Mr. Morley was not retirement for the present, but retirement now." This distinction, though perhaps somewhat subtle, gave no little comfort to Mr. Gladstone's admirers, who saw by the light of his explanation fresh evidence of the malignity with which their leader's plainest statements were misrepresented by his unscrupulous opponents. These, on the other hand, were tempted to suggest that the later reading of Mr Gladstone's text coincided with the alienation of the bulk of the Liberal party from Mr. Parnell, who had bitterly attacked Mr. Gladstone, and by that means had made himself for the future an impossible ally.

The "Boulogne conference," moreover, led to no satisfactory results. Beyond the fact that it had for object an accommodation between the two sections into which the Nationalist party was split, nothing was known. Mr. O'Brien, having come from New York to act as peacemaker, naturally did not from the outset show himself a partisan. After a couple of interviews with