Mr. Gladstone also made a very strong point of the
complete misdirection of Lord Beaconsfield's alarms when, in his letter to the Duke of Marlborough, he spoke of the danger of the poli- tical dismemberment of the United Kingdom, owing to the veiled rebellion in Ireland, instead of insisting on the danger of the social anarchy which actually ensued. The Land League had grown and thriven under the Government of Lord Beacons- field, and he had made no sort of preparation for putting it down. And it was not till the Government had reasonable suspicion that the Land League was really instigating to crime, that they felt empowered even under the Protection Act to arrest the chief Land Leaguers. The Prime Minister felt the utmost regret at the sufferings of the prisoners in their cells, but he was compelled to think of other sufferings, which they were still more bound to prevent,—"We had tothink of thousands in the sanctuary of their homes who, for no offence but that of wishing to discharge their legal obligations, were exposed sometimes to losses, sometimes to cruel alarms, sometimes to the mutilation of their persons, sometimes to death itself. These are the sufferings which we thought it our duty to avert by every means in our power. For that end we have laboured, and shall continue to labour. We shall do as much as we can do within the ordinary law, to which we have shown from the very first our disposition and our de- sire to adhere ; but with whatever weapon Parliament may- place in our hands, we must endeavour to protect the lives,. persons, and property of the people of Ireland against the cruel aud destructive oppressions that are being inflicted upon them, in the name and in consequence of the ill-advised action of their professing friends." It is clear that Mr. Gladstone has really cared more for the means of protecting life and property in Ireland, than he has eared for any other object immediately with- in political reach. No more mistaken charge than that this had been a secondary matter with the Government, was ever made against any Administration.
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