The Western Mail of Tuesday professes to quote from a.
"Liberal" Gloucester paper—the Gloucester Journal of last Saturday—an article on "The Downfall of England," which contains one of the most violent pieces of vituperation against Mr. Gladstone and his Cabinet which we have ever read. For fury, it would seem to surpass even Irish loathing at its worst. This is how the Western Mail,—a Conservative paper, by the way,—quotes what it terms its " Liberal " contemporary :— " Her political fortunes are directed by a hypocrite, who is also a blood-guilty tyrant, and a conspirator against the honour of the country. The hateful and atrocious Gladstone, whom 'twere flattery to call a rascal, has associated with him in the Government a gang of incompetent nobodies, who, partly through ignorance are betraying every British interest. About the only conspirator with any brains its a fellow named Chamberlain, who makes screws or something down at Birmingham, and who has been in league with the Irish rebels, and incited them to get up murderous outrages as an excuse for robbing the landlords by an iniquitous Act of
Spoliation. The people of the country are afflicted with a sort of dementia, which prevents them from realising the odious character of their political leaders, and the imminent perils into which those pernicious adventurers have brought our beloved -country. The populace, lulled into false security, are looking forward to peace and prosperity; but a very different period is being prepared for us by the strangest set of philosophers and geniuses that were ever allowed to touch the helm of affairs." Clearly, the Gloucester Journal is, or has just become, a comic paper, and is attempting a burlesque of the violent style. It is not very happy, for it wants the touch of the grotesque that alone makes extravagant invective funny; but then, how diffi- cult it is to succeed in burlesque ! The Gloucester journal may .do better, in time. It is even a kind of success to have persuaded the Western Mail that this passion in tatters was serious.
Previous page
