Life and times of William E. Gladstone - an account of his ancestry and boyhood, his career at Eton and Oxford, his entrance into public life, his rise to leadership and fame, his genius as statesman (14766053902)
Summary
Identifier: williamegladston00ridp (find matches)
Title: Life and times of William E. Gladstone : an account of his ancestry and boyhood, his career at Eton and Oxford, his entrance into public life, his rise to leadership and fame, his genius as statesman and author, and his influence on the progress of the nineteenth century
Year: 1898 (1890s)
Authors: Ridpath, John Clark, 1840-1900
Subjects: Gladstone, W. E. (William Ewart), 1809-1898 Statesmen
Publisher: Springfield, O. : J.W. Jones
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive
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like a boar against them. Indeed, he scarcelydeigned to make answer when they demanded that the hands of the IrishLand League and his own hands should be washed of the crime of murder.Parnell said in answer that all defense of himself and his party was impossi-ble in such a court as the English House of Commons. His cause was pre-judged. His judges were his enemies and the enemies of the Irish people.He was not anxious to justify himself at such a bar. Certainly crime wascrime, by whomsoever committed. For the rest, he stood for the cause ofan oppressed people. He had suffered an unjust imprisonment for thatcause ; and now he and his party were maligned and slandered. This condition of affairs tended greatly to weaken the Liberal ascend-ency. Hardly could any party steer safely through such a maelstrom.The government had a good working majority through the whole of 1882-83; 570 LIFE AND TIMES OF WILLIAM E. GLADSTONE. 4S^.rkM ^^mMwwm^^m^^ /Ifnmi ^iilll .viiyiiuiiiiiiiiiii f lifl ■ 11
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LIBERATION OF PRISONERS FROM IRISH JAILS. FIRST BATTLE FOR HOME RULE. 571 but whenever a by-election occurred it resulted invariably in Ireland in again of a Home Rule member, and in England generally in a gain for theConservatives. This tendency continued without variation in its results,until the government was at length reduced to the necessity of going to theConservatives for incidental support of its measures, or else appealing tothe Home Rulers themselves. The latter had now in view one definiteobject, and that was the nationalization of Ireland. Whatever promotedthis end was a part of their policy. Whatever opposed it was opposed bythem. The immediate sequel of the murder of Lord Cavendish and Mr. Burkewas the bringing in of a measure called the Prevention of Crimes Bill. Suchwas the temper of the House that the government made the bill much moresevere than it ought to have been. It was proposed to carry the means ofrepression to the utmost. In fact, the measure was made so cru