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W. LYON BLEASE
W. LYON BLEASE
No rational man ever did govern himself by abstractions and universals.... A statesman differs from a professor in an university; the latter has only the general view of society.... A statesman, never losing sight of principles, is to be guided by circumstances; and, judging contrary to the exigencies of the moment, he may ruin his country for ever. Burke , "On the Petition of the Unitarians."...
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T. FISHER UNWIN LONDON: ADELPHI TERRACE LEIPSIC: INSELSTRASSE 20
T. FISHER UNWIN LONDON: ADELPHI TERRACE LEIPSIC: INSELSTRASSE 20
TO "THE MANCHESTER GUARDIAN" First Published in 1913 ( All rights reserved. )...
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CHAPTER I LIBERALISM AND TORYISM
CHAPTER I LIBERALISM AND TORYISM
This book attempts to trace the varying but persistent course of Liberalism in British politics during the last hundred and fifty years. It is not so much a history of events as a reading of them in the light of a particular political philosophy. In the strict sense a history of Liberalism should cover much more than politics. The same habit of mind is to be discovered everywhere else in the history of thought, most conspicuously in religious history, but not less certainly in the history of sci
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CHAPTER II POLITICAL CONDITIONS IN THE REIGN OF GEORGE III
CHAPTER II POLITICAL CONDITIONS IN THE REIGN OF GEORGE III
Modern English politics may be fairly said to begin about the accession of George III. The conflict of Liberalism and Toryism can no doubt be traced farther back. But though the same principles may have been at stake during the Civil War, or even in the time of the Lollards, the general movement was slow, and the connection with modern politics less definite. About the middle of the eighteenth century society began to group itself more permanently, and a train of events was started which can be
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CHAPTER III THE FIRST MOVEMENT TOWARDS LIBERALISM
CHAPTER III THE FIRST MOVEMENT TOWARDS LIBERALISM
Three great events, or series of events, combined to produce the process of individual emancipation, which is the subject of this book. The first was the economic transformation, called the Industrial Revolution, which began about 1760 and ended about 1830. The second was the American Rebellion, which ended in the recognition of the independence of the United States in 1783. The third was the French Revolution, in part at least a consequence of the American Rebellion, which ended in the establis
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CHAPTER IV THE FRENCH REVOLUTION AND ENGLISH OPINION
CHAPTER IV THE FRENCH REVOLUTION AND ENGLISH OPINION
The Revolution affected English society in two directly opposite ways. It is unquestionable that its violence drove the majority into hostility not only to Revolution, but to Reform. But many men and women welcomed the triumph of its principles with an enthusiasm which was almost as extravagant as the opposition of the rest. Those who had preached equality in the days of Wilkes and the American War were encouraged to greater zeal, and the bigness of the new shock awakened interest in masses of p
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CHAPTER V THE DECLINE OF TORYISM
CHAPTER V THE DECLINE OF TORYISM
The conclusion of the war closed the outlet through which the national energies had been so long strained, and left the people free to contemplate their own situation. Popular discontent again made itself felt, and it was more formidable than ever. Trade was dislocated by the peace, industries were reduced which had fattened upon the war, and the numbers of the idle workmen were swollen by disbanded soldiers and sailors. At the same time bad harvests diminished the supply of corn, and a new Corn
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CHAPTER VI THE MIDDLE-CLASS SUPREMACY
CHAPTER VI THE MIDDLE-CLASS SUPREMACY
The significance of the victory of 1832 was immense. It broke up and reconstructed the whole of the machinery by which the old Toryism had managed the people, and it involved the first great revision of social values which had taken place in England. It was perhaps more important as a precedent for future changes than for what it was in itself. It was very far from implying the triumph of Revolutionary principles, though the spread of Revolutionary principles had alone made it possible. The Whig
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CHAPTER VII THE MANCHESTER SCHOOL AND PALMERSTON
CHAPTER VII THE MANCHESTER SCHOOL AND PALMERSTON
While Peel was thus, with the co-operation of the Whigs, making some approach towards Liberalism, the real control of Liberal policy was passing out of the hands of the old governing class altogether. The active force in the Liberal movement of this period was the Manchester School. The members of this school were not unlike the Philosophic Radicals, and the two were generally found on the same side. But the Manchester men differed in character, if not in opinions, from the philosophers, and as
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CHAPTER VIII THE BEGINNING OF THE GLADSTONE PERIOD
CHAPTER VIII THE BEGINNING OF THE GLADSTONE PERIOD
The Palmerston era was now at an end, and that of Gladstone was beginning. The first had been a period of domestic indifference and external agitation. Energy at home and restraint abroad were the marks of the first Liberal Ministry. The dominating force in practical politics was a man who derived his principles from a mixture of sound stocks. A temperate foreign policy, a rigorous economy in expenditure, and a dislike of commercial interference and restriction he had inherited from Sir Robert P
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CHAPTER IX GLADSTONE VERSUS DISRAELI
CHAPTER IX GLADSTONE VERSUS DISRAELI
The history of the Disraeli Ministry which in 1874 followed that of Gladstone is almost entirely a history of foreign policy. The new Premier had described the domestic activity of his predecessor as a policy of plundering and blundering, and he himself avoided the imputation of either form of error by doing little of any significance at home. In effect he revived the system of Palmerston, and endeavoured to distract the popular attention from domestic grievances by splendid demonstrations abroa
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CHAPTER X THE IMPERIALIST REACTION
CHAPTER X THE IMPERIALIST REACTION
The condition of Ireland was now forced upon the attention of both parties. The Irish Nationalist party had demanded Home Rule since Parnell assumed the leadership in 1879. The General Election of 1885 gave this demand a force which it had never possessed before. The extension of the franchise by the Act of 1884 gave a much larger representation to agricultural Ireland, and agricultural Ireland was wholly Nationalist. Out of eighty-nine contests Parnell's party won eighty-five. All the fourteen
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CHAPTER XI LIBERALISM SINCE 1906
CHAPTER XI LIBERALISM SINCE 1906
The policy of the Liberal Government which came into power in 1906 was the policy of those who had followed the old course during the Imperialist reaction. The general principles laid down by the new Prime Minister did not differ substantially from those of Gladstone, though the problems with which he had to deal were not precisely the same. His argument against Tariff Reform was inspired by the same zeal for personal freedom as those which he used against Chinese Labour, the Education Act, and
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The Land Hunger: Life under Monopoly. Descriptive Letters and Other Testimonies from those who have Suffered. With an Introduction by Mrs. COBDEN UNWIN and a Critical Study by BROUGHAM VILLIERS.
The Land Hunger: Life under Monopoly. Descriptive Letters and Other Testimonies from those who have Suffered. With an Introduction by Mrs. COBDEN UNWIN and a Critical Study by BROUGHAM VILLIERS.
Large crown 8vo, cloth, 2s. net. This book will form a companion and complementary volume to the famous collection of letters published under the name of "The Hungry Forties." Scores of books issue from the Press yearly, written by thinkers of various schools, dealing with the now universally admitted hardships of our land laws. It is time, however, that the people were permitted to speak for themselves, and in this book they have done so. From the South of England to the far North of Scotland m
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The Economics of Land Value
The Economics of Land Value
By HAROLD STOREY Secretary of the Yorkshire Liberal Federation. Crown 8vo, Paper boards, 1s. net. This book demonstrates the extraordinary position held by Land in the production and distribution of wealth. The author briefly and clearly explains the economic forces that determine the share of wealth that can be claimed by the various classes of the community, and argues that unless some remedy can be found the growth of land-rents will increasingly impoverish the people. He advocates legislativ
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THE STRANGLING OF PERSIA
THE STRANGLING OF PERSIA
By W. MORGAN SHUSTER With a Map and 52 Full-page Illustrations Demy 8vo, cloth, 12s. 6d net (Inland postage 5d.) The story of European diplomacy and Oriental intrigue which resulted in the denationalization of twelve million Mohammedans. It is practically the first time that the real story of modern diplomatic relations between nations has been frankly and fully recorded. The startling facts are authenticated by the British and Persian state papers, supplemented by a private diary kept by the au
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My Life By AUGUST BEBEL
My Life By AUGUST BEBEL
With a Portrait. Cloth, 7s. 6d. net. The Daily Herald says: "This book is of remarkable interest. It is a record and revelation of extraordinary significance." The Daily Chronicle says: "'My Life' is really an enchanting book, forcefully and modestly written, and ought to be read by all who care anything at all about the betterment of the conditions of the vast majority of their fellow creatures." The Yorkshire Observer says: "Whatever our political sympathies may be, we cannot withhold respect
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The Tyranny of the Countryside By F. E. GREEN
The Tyranny of the Countryside By F. E. GREEN
Author of "The Awakening of England," "The Cottage Farm," &c. Crown 8vo, cloth, 5s. net. In this book the reader is shown the root causes of rural decay under that dominating tyranny which, in spite of rural Magna Chartas, hangs like a blight over England. The book is not a political pamphlet—it is something more. The author, like Cobbett, a tiller of the soil, and living the life of the yeoman farmer, understands those hardships that eventually drive the labourer from the land. He has a
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Rev. J. W. HORSLEY, M.A.
Rev. J. W. HORSLEY, M.A.
Hon. Canon of Southwark, late and last Chaplain of Clerkenwell Prison. Illustrated. Cloth, 7s. 6d. net. Ever since his Chaplaincy of Clerkenwell prison, Canon Horsley has been a keen student of crime and its causes and an active worker in prison and social reform. His new book deals largely with commercial morality as a cause of crime, but also with the general moral and social improvement in London (and some exceptions); progress in prison reform; increase in betting as a cause of crime; intemp
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THE PUTUMAYO THE DEVIL'S PARADISE
THE PUTUMAYO THE DEVIL'S PARADISE
Travels in the Peruvian Amazon Region and an account of the Atrocities committed upon the Indians therein. Edited and with an Introduction by...
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C. REGINALD ENOCK, F.R.G.S.
C. REGINALD ENOCK, F.R.G.S.
With a Map and many Illustrations . Second Impression. Cloth, 10s. 6d. net. The Globe says: "This tale of Mr. Hardenburg's is no fancy sketch. It is true; it bears the impress of truth on every line, and it is confirmed by independent testimony at almost every point. So awful an indictment has never before been framed against men claiming to have even the rudiments of civilization, and even the atrocities laid to the charge of the most cold-blooded tyrants of the Congo pale before the horrors to
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Notes
Notes
[1] T. H. Green, Works , iii. 367. [2] L. T. Hobhouse, Liberalism , 122. [3] L. T. Hobhouse, Liberalism , 126, 127, 133. [4] L. T. Hobhouse, Democracy and Reaction (2nd edition), 166. [5] Bulwer's Life of Palmerston , i. 278. Palmerston's list of "Liberals" of June, 1828, includes 11 Peers and 37 Commoners. [6] Representative Government , chap. xvi. [7] J. A. Hobson, Imperialism (1905 edition), 319. [8] Morley's Life of Cobden (popular edition), 529. The reference is to Russia's assistance of Au
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