This day week Mr. Gladstone made an animated and very
effective speech to the Liberal Association at Staindrop, in South
Durham, which the Tory papers speak of as deliberately putting the Topular policy on the Eastern Question on the footing of "party politics." They might just as well say that if one of twc. joint owners of a house that was falling to pieces told the other that all he wanted was to get the house put in good repair, and if the acting proprietor would do it, he should be both satis- fied and pleased, but if not, he must himself interfere, that would be putting the question on a footing of rivalry and passion. All Mr. Gladstone said was that if the Conservative Government would do the behest of the whole nation, his own party would greatly prefer it ; but if not, why, then the Liberal party, which was a party expressly organised for the purpose of carrying-out political improvements, could not possibly avoid identifying itself with the great cause of the nation. "What I have said is, 'We- are willing and desirous that there should be no change of Gov- ernment, if you will do your duty. But we cannot stand the con- tinuance of your policy on this question. We don't want you to go to the wall and to go to the winds. But if you will not change the policy, to the wall and to the winds you must go." Any lan- guage other than that would imply that it is not the policy for- which we are fighting, and about which we care. Now, it is the policy, and not the machinery by which the policy is to be carried, that we care about. To sacrifice that for the sake of avoiding the appearance of partisanship in a national cause, would be to sacri- fice the aim and hope of the nation to the obstinacy of that small party in possession which scorns and thwarts the national purpose..
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