CHAPTER XIX 



mr. Gladstone's home rule bill (1885-1886) 



(Age 51-52) 



In the early spring of the following year Sir John 

 and Mr. Courtney conducted " Proportional Re- 

 presentation " meetings at Leicester, Nottingham, 

 Greenwich, Lambeth, Islington, St. Pancras, 

 Liverpool, Tower Hamlets, Norwich, Oxford, 

 and Clapham. In almost every case they held 

 an illustrative election, and he claims that " the 

 actual experience was even more conclusive than 

 any verbal explanation." In many cases they 

 ended with a resolution in favour of the system. 

 At Nottingham the local Liberal leader, Alder- 

 man Gripper, announced his intention of moving 

 an amendment. Few doubted that he could 

 carry it in his own town and against two strangers. 

 He put his case well, but to the general surprise 

 his resolution was lost by a large majority. 



At the Lambeth meeting the Secretary of the 

 Liberal Association also came down intending to 

 move an amendment. He did not dispute the 

 theoretical arguments, but was under the im- 

 pression that the system was too complicated 



and difficult for actual use. The results of the 



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