ABSURDITIES DT POLITICS. [To me EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR. "] SIR,—/
have no desire whatever to enter into a controversy with Lord Monkswell in the columns of the Spectator. On one point, however, I will ask your leave to set him right. My political career has been short and unimportant ; but I can claim that during the whole of it I have never used a strong term in con- troversy without fall consideration, or brought a charge which, I was not perfectly prepared to justify. I have, at one time or another, made many strong statements about political per- sonages; but I have never yet had to withdraw a fact as in- correct, or a charge as without foundation. Lord Monkswell is in error in thinking that I have departed from my invariable practice in my recent letter to the Times. I am perfectly pre- pared, if Lord Monkswell desires it, to prove the troth of my- assertion,—that in Europe, Asia, Africa, America, and Australia,. and last, but not least, in the United Kingdom, wherever there is a class or a party hostile to England, there Mr. Gladstone has friends who believe that by his action he is further- ing their cause.* Meanwhile, I protest against the assumption that, whether true or false, such a charge as this is to be r-
or withheld on the ground of courtesy or admiration for an individual. It is a public matter of the very gravest importance, with regard to which every one who cares for the country has a perfect right to speak out.
Lord Monkswell may honestly think it a worthy thing that
one who has been and hopes to be Prime Minister of England should be "hail, fellow, well met," with a member of the Executive- Committee of the Land League, or that he should show marked favour to a man whose only conspicuous public action has been to subscribe ostentatiously for the benefit of a convicted felon, caught with his pockets full of dynamite-bombs, which he- intended to explode on the floor of the House of Commons. I, with I think equal honesty, am impressed with a belief that these manifestations are deeply to be regretted; and I intend to- say so. Let Lord Monkswell disprove my facts. I will then come to him for a lesson in good manners.—I am, Sir, &a,
H. 0. ARNOLD.FORSTER.
[* We imagine Lord Monk-swell thought as we did, that Mr; Arnold-Forster believed Mr. Gladstone to be specially friendly to enemies of England.—En. Spectator]
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