‚88
ENGLAND IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY,
"The heated debates which followed lasted from the 8th of
April to the 7th of June, Parnell expressed his satisfaction
Le with the bill, though he claimed that financially
Split inthe . x .
Liberal it was a hard bargain for Ireland. It remained
Party —The to be seen whether the defection from the Liberal
bill rejected.
ranks would be large enough to compensate for
the eighty-six well-disciplined followers whom he was about to
lead into the ministerial lobby. Gradually, however, it began
to be clear that the split in the Liberal ranks was much deeper
than Gladstone had hoped. Lord Hartington and most of the
Whig section of the party were known to be alienated, and it
was also found that Mr. Chamberlain and Mr. Bright were
about to be followed into opposition by a considerable
number of the Radicals. Member after member arose on the
Liberal side of the House to complain that the guarantees
given for the loyalty of Ireland were too weak ; or that no pro-
‘ection was afforded for the minority in Ulster who disliked
Home Rule; or that the proposed financial arrangements were
unworkable; or that the removal of the Irish members from
Westminster broke up all connection between the kingdoms;
or, more simply, that persons with the antecedents of Parnell and
his followers could not be trusted with power. When the
cruclal division on the second reading of the bill was taken on
June 19, no less than ninety-three Liberals voted against the
Government, and the measure was thrown out by a majority of
thirty (341 to 311). Mr. Gladstone at once dissolved parlia-
ment, though it was not seven months old, and appealed to the
zountry to endorse his new policy (June 25).
The general election of July, 1886, was by far the most
en bitterly fought contest of the present half-century,
LE ” Disruption of old party ties amonyst the Liberals
stonians”— lent it a particularly personal animosity, since
ee every “ Unionist ” of the last parliament found
his seat attacked by a “ Gladstonian.” "The latter
charged their former friends with disloyalty and desertion:
