GLADSTONE 



W. E. Gladstone at the age of 30 



After W. Bradley 



for the first time. In 1845 he left 

 office because he disliked the ad- 

 ditional public grant to the Roman 

 Catholic college at Maynooth, but 

 at the end of the year he returned 

 to become secretary for war and 

 the Colonies. In July, 1846, the 

 ministry resigned. In 1847 Glad- 

 stone was returned for the uni- 

 versity of Oxford, but for a few 

 years his political position was not 

 very clear. He was not com- 

 pletely committed to the Peelites, 

 but he had broken with the Toryism 

 of his youth. In 1851 he wrote 

 from Italy his letters denouncing 

 the Bourbon king of Naples. 

 Gladstone's First Budget 

 OnDec. 2, 1852, Gladstone became 

 chancellor of the exchequer, join- 

 ing the ministry of Lord Aberdeen. 

 In April, 1853, he introduced his 

 first budget, and the changes in the 

 direction of simplicity therein pro- 

 posed marked him out as a great 

 financier. Then came the Crimean 

 War, the resignation of Lord 

 Aberdeen, and a few weeks later 

 (Feb., 1855) that of Gladstone. 

 While in opposition he acted as 

 high commissioner for the Ionian 

 Islands. In 1859 the Conservative 



ministry was defeated, and Pal- 

 merston, under whom Gladstone 

 had served for a'few days in 1855. 

 became premier. Gladstone re 

 turned to the exchequer and foi 

 seven years was responsible for 

 the finance of the country. In 

 one of his budgets he abolished 

 the paper duty, overcoming the 

 resistance of the House of Lords, 

 and his achievements during this 

 period mark him as the pioneer 

 financier of democracy. 



Gladstone was now the most 

 able and active member of the 

 cabinet. In 1865 he succeeded 

 Palmerston as leader of the House 

 of Commons, Russell becoming 

 prime minister, and he was in 

 charge of the rejected reform bill ol 

 1866. The Russell ministry then 

 resigned, and in 1867 Gladstone 

 became the leader of the Liberal 

 party. About the same time 

 Disraeli succeeded Derby, and the 

 two crreat rival became the chief 



Hawarden Castle, Flintshire, for 60 years the resident 

 of W. E. Gladstone 



The house in which Gladstone was 

 born, 62, Rodney Street, Liverpool 



figures on the political stage. The 

 general election of 1868 was fought 

 largely on the issue, pushed to the 

 front by Gladstone, of the dis- 

 establishment of the Irish Church. 

 The Liberals were returned topower, 

 and although he 

 promised to repeal 

 the income tax his 

 party was de- 

 feated, and for six 

 years was in oppo- 

 sition. 



Chagrined, 

 Gladstone decided 

 to retire from 

 political life, and 

 in 1875 he was 

 succeeded as 

 Liberal leader by 

 Lord Hartington, 

 but he kept his 

 seat in the House 

 of Commons, 



Mrs. Gladstone, from a photograph 

 taken in 1888 



London Stereoscopic Co. 



and events, or his own desires, 

 soon called him again to the front. 

 The Turkish possessions in the 

 Balkans became the scene of savage 

 fighting, and with the fervour of a 

 crusader Gladstone carried on a 

 campaign against Turkish misrule 

 and cruelty. He did not actually 

 resume the party leadership, but 

 when the general election of 1880 

 came he was the protagonist of the 

 opposition to the Conservative 

 policy, and his speeches, the fam- 

 ous Midlothian campaign, were 

 mainly responsible for the Liberal 

 victory. He then became M.P. for 

 Midlothian, retaining that seat 

 until his retirement. He had also 

 been elected by Leeds, a seat taken 

 by his son Herbert. 



The Second Premiership 

 Gladstone was now at the height 

 of his influence. No other prime 

 minister was possible, and he took 

 that office a second time in April, 

 1880, being chancellor of the ex- 

 chequer as well as first lord of the 

 treasury until 1882. There were 

 difficulties in Ireland and in Egypt, 

 which were not helped by the con- 

 stant dissensions in the cabinet. 

 The Phoenix Park murders, and 

 the death of Gordon, weakened the 

 position of the ministry, but it 

 held on until 1885. Then came a 

 general election, at which neither 

 party gained a clear majority, and 

 Gladstone's sudden declaration in 

 favour of Home Rule. 



In Feb., 1886, the Conservative 

 ministry was beaten and Gladstone 

 took office for the third time as 

 premier, but the defection of some 

 of his party led to the defeat of his 

 Home Rule bill and to another 

 election, on which he was defeated. 

 The next election came in 1892, 

 and by a small majority the 

 Liberals were returned to power. 



