Mr, Gladstone is the most sanguine of men. In a
letter to Mr. Cowan, which was read at the meeting of the Midlothian Liberal Association in Edinburgh on Wednesday, and printed in Thursday's Times, he not only confidently anticipates that the Gladstonian majority will carry the Home-rule Bill safely through the House of Commons, which may happen,— after the vote on the gagging resolution, it would indeed seem that the Gladstonians will stick at nothing,—but that "its passage through a House of Commons, elected less than a year ago for the very purpose of trying the issue, is a cardinal fact which immensely advances the measure; and coming after seven years' closely maintained conflict, is de- cisive of ultimate success." Mr. Gladstone can persuade himself of anything ; but, to our minds, the passing by petty majorities, and only with the help of the gag, of a half-discussed measure, which settles nothing, which post- pones all the most critical issues till Mr. Gladstone will no longer be in the House tJ deal with them, and which has already excited so much dislike, both avowed and secret, that the next swing of the pendulum is sure to be a sharp one, will be of no sort of use to the cause for which Mr. Gladstone is fighting so valiantly. The campaign will have only shown how many insoluble problems have been avowedly reserved for the consideration of statesmen who think Mr. Gladstone's whole policy mischievous, and how many more have been so slurred over as to drive lawyers and legislators to despair.
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