306 



GLADSTONE, WILLIAM EWART. 



elated ; he asked that England's policy should be a 

 policy of morality and Christianity. This showed 

 him to be an apostle of principle in politics as in 

 private life. He proved his liberality and true love 

 of freedom in the protest he made against the ex- 

 cited and unchristian spirit that actuated the pass- 

 ing of the " ecclesiastical titles bill." Justin Mc- 

 Carthy says, in allusion to this incident and the 

 accusations of sympathy with Romanism then made 

 against Gladstone : "There is no doubt a Church so 

 venerable, with so picturesque a ritual, a Church in 

 whose bosom so many generations of saints and 

 sages have rested, could not but appeal to all that 

 was poetical and all that was devotional in Glad- 

 stone's nature." 



In the winter of 1850 Gladstone spent some time 

 in Naples. He had intended taking rest, but, hear- 

 ing of the terrible sufferings of political prisoners 

 in the dungeons of Naples, he devoted his time to 

 investigation. He found the most horrible cases of 

 cruelty to these unfortunate persons, and wrote to 

 Lord Aberdeen, then Prime Minister of England, 

 bringing a powerful and detailed indictment against 

 the rulers of Naples. These letters were published 

 and caused a great sensation throughout Europe, 

 and may be said to have assisted materially in 

 bringing about the revolution that created a free 

 and united Italy ten years later. The great heart 

 of Gladstone was ever sympathetic with the op- 

 pressed and downtrodden. Parliament was dis- 

 solved in July, 1852, when he was again elected, by 

 a largely increased majority, for Oxford University. 

 Disraeli's second budget, during Lord Derby's ad- 

 ministration, initiated the first great duel between. 

 him and his life-long rival, Gladstone delivering a 

 critical dissection of the budget, which was the first 

 of a celebrated series. On a division, the result was 

 apparent in the defeat of the Government by a ma- 

 jority of nineteen, and Lord Derby resigned. The 

 excitement in the country was intense and wide- 

 spread. The new Government was a coalition of 

 Whigs and Peelites, with Sir William Molesworth 

 representing the Radicals. Lord Aberdeen became 

 Prime Minister, and Mr. Gladstone Chancellor of 

 the Exchequer. This was the first time Gladstone 

 had held that responsible place, and his first budget 

 was awaited with interest. It was introduced April 

 18, 1853. The introductory speech was of five hours' 

 duration, yet the house was held spellbound. Nor 

 was the country less impressed on consideration of 

 Gladstone's financial proposals for the reduction of 

 taxation. He received letters of congratulation 

 from the Queen and the Prince Consort and unan- 

 imous eulogy from his numerous friends. The 

 budget Abolished duties on 123 articles and reduced 

 the duties on 133 others, affording a total relief of 

 $5,000,<H)0. Gladstone took no conspicuous part in 

 the Cri lut-nii War, nor was he in any way responsi- 

 ble for its gross mismanagement ; but as this caused 

 the fall of tin- Aberdeen ministry, he went out of 

 office. Lord Palmerston then became Prime Min- 

 ister, with Gladstone again at the exchequer. This 

 was the first time he had served under a Whig leader, 

 and it was a decided step toward Liberalism. But 

 after throe weeks he, with two other members of 

 the Government, resigned office on a matter con- 

 nected with a proposed inquiry into the conduct of 

 the war by the Government. 



Gladstone was now for some time an independent 

 member of the house, but in non-purl isan matters 

 wae as active as ever. He powerfully opposed the 

 institution of a divorce court, basing his opposition 

 entirely on moral and religious grounds. Divorce 

 applications in England before this act had to be 

 heard in court, and if the charge was proved a 

 special act of Parliament must be obtained to dis- 

 solve the marriage. This was so expensive that 



divorce was possible to the rich only. Gladstone 

 fought the bill desperately, meeting in committee 

 a lawyer of the Crown, expert in divorce law. Glad- 

 stone is reported to have answered him as though he 

 had done nothing but study this question all his life, 

 and without note or indication quoted whole stat- 

 utes. He failed, however, to defeat the bill. 



On account of his Greek sympathies and knowl- 

 edge, Gladstone was asked to go to the Ionian Isles, 

 whose people were restive under British rule and 

 wanted to be allied to their native country. Greece. 

 Finding Greek, as pronounced, not very adaptable, 

 he used Italian in all the negotiations. His recep- 

 -tion was enthusiastic and surprising; his fame had 

 gone before him, and the lonians refused to con- 

 sider him as an English Conservative commissioner, 

 but as " Gladstone the Philhellene." The islanders 

 agitated more than ever after he left; but their 

 wish was not granted until 1862, when the brother 

 of the Princess of Wales was made King of Greece, 

 and the Ionian Islands were made over to that 

 country. 



In 1859, on Lord Palmerston's return to the 

 premiership, Gladstone, now a decided Liberal, was 

 again made Chancellor of the Exchequer, and for 

 seven years he continuously reduced or abolished 

 internal taxes and simplified customs. The budget 

 of 1860 was memorable for the reduction of the 

 wine duty and the proposed abolition of the paj er 

 duty. The Tory party always feared educating t he 

 people; and cheap paper meant cheap newspapers, 

 which they did not want. Papers then were fow 

 and were sold at sixpence each, and many people 

 bought one, which others paid to read. The House 

 of Lords threw out this paper clause. Gladstone 

 was very wroth, and declared their action uncon- 

 stitutional. However, in the following year, he 

 incorporated it in one great financial measure in- 

 stead of a separate bill, and the Lords were com- 

 pelled to pass it, and the penny newspaper was the 

 immediate result. The Tories, in the opposition to 

 this bill, used extraordinary arguments as to the 

 dangers of anarchy and revolution from cheap lit- 

 erature. 



A mistake owing to sheer and inexcusable igno- 

 rance, made by Gladstone in a speech at Newcastle- 

 on-Tyne in 1862, when he said " Jefferson Davis has 

 created a nation in a day," caused surprise and in- 

 dignation, both among his own friends and the 

 Americans of the North. Gladstone, however, made 

 the amende honorable, frankly owning the ignorance 

 that caused the remark. 



The death of Lord Palmerston placed Lord R is- 

 sell at the head of the Government, GladMi in- 

 resuming his old office and assuming also ihe 

 leadership of the House of Commons. By his budg- 

 et of 1865 he struck off 5,400,000 of taxation, 

 reducing the tea duty by Qd. in the pound and 

 lowering the income tax from Qd. to 4d. In 1M6 

 he introduced his first reform bill, which was not 

 very well received, though really moderate. The 

 Conservatives would have none of it. Then 

 a split in the camp of the Liberals, and H 

 Lowe, the brilliant leader, formed a party who " j n- 

 nicknamed " Adullamites " from the cave where In- 

 disgruntled Jews retired. They caused (JljidM "in- 

 much anxiety by their defection, and his speitfh 

 winding up the second reading debate was or 

 his greatest, if not his greatest, oratorical effort. 

 The second reading was carried by a majority nf 

 only five; but soon afterward an amendment *M- 

 successful against the Government, which at 

 resigned. A popular agitation in favor of rof< nn 

 burst forth all over the country, and Gladstone 's 

 the name on every tongue. At the general elect i<>n 

 of 1868 he was nominated for South and We-t Lan- 

 cashire, being defeated at one place and successful 



