of a liberal majority independent of Ireland
did not foreshadow the advent of a liberal government to power. He
referred to the settlement of household suffrage in 1867. How was the tory
government enabled to effect that settlement? Because there was in the
House a liberal majority which did not care to eject the existing
ministry.(155) He had already reminded his electors that tory governments
were sometimes able to carry important measures, when once they had made
up their minds to it, with greater facility than liberal governments
could. For instance, if Peel had not been the person to propose the repeal
of the corn laws, Lord John would not have had fair consideration from the
tories; and no liberal government could have carried the Maynooth
Act.(156)

The plain English of the abundant references to Ireland in the Midlothian
speeches of this election is, that Mr. Gladstone foresaw beyond all shadow
of doubt that the Irish question in its largest extent would at once
demand the instant attention of the new parliament; that the best hope of
settling it would be that the liberals should have a majority of their
own; that the second best hope lay in its settlement by the tory
government with the aid of the liberals; but that, in any case, the worst
of all conditions under which a settlement could be attempted--an attempt
that could not be avoided--would be a situation in which Mr. Parnell should
hold the balance between parliamentary parties.

The precise state of Mr. Gladstone's mind at this moment is best shown in
a very remarkable letter written by him to Lord Rosebery, under whose roof
at Talmeny he was staying at the time:--

_To Lord Rosebery._

_Dalmeny Park, 13th Nov. 1885._--You have called my attention to
the recent speech of Mr. Parnell, in which he expresses the desire
that I should frame a plan for giving to Ireland, without
prejudice to imperial unity and interests, the management of her
own affairs. The subject is so important that, though we are
together, I will put on paper my view of this proposal. For the
moment I assume that such a plan can be framed. Indeed, if I had
considered this to be hopeless, I should have been guilty of great
rashness in speaking of it as a contingency that should be kept in
view at the present election. I will first give reasons, which I
deem to be of great weight, against my producing a scheme,
reserving to the clos