ndent or absolute
majority. An important member of the tory party said to a liberal of his
acquaintance (July 7), that he was almost sorry the tories had not played
the bold game and fought independently of the dissentient liberals. "But
then," he added, "we could not have beaten you on the bill, without the
compact to spare unionist seats."

England had returned opponents of the liberal policy in the proportion of
two and a half to one against its friends; but Scotland approved in the
proportion of three to two, Wales approved by five to one, and Ireland by
four and a half to one. Another fact with a warning in it was that, taking
the total poll for Great Britain, the liberals had 1,344,000, the seceders
397,000, and the tories 1,041,000. Therefore in contested constituencies
the liberals of the main body were only 76,000 behind the forces of tories
and seceders combined. Considering the magnitude and the surprise of the
issue laid before the electors, and in view of the confident prophecies of
even some peculiar friends of the policy, that both policy and its authors
would be swept out of existence by a universal explosion of national anger
and disgust, there was certainly no final and irrevocable verdict in a
hostile British majority of no more than four per cent, of the votes
polled. Apart from electoral figures, coercion loomed large and near at
hand, and coercion tried under the new political circumstances that would
for the first time attend it, might well be trusted to do much more than
wipe out the margin at the polls. "There is nothing in the recent defeat,"
said Mr. Gladstone, "to abate the hopes or to modify the anticipations of
those who desire to meet the wants and wishes of Ireland."

VI

The question now before Mr. Gladstone was whether to meet the new
parliament or at once to resign. For a short time he wavered, along with
an important colleague, and then he and all the rest came round to
resignation. The considerations that guided him were these. It is best for
Ireland that the party strongest in the new parliament should be at once
confronted with its responsibilities. Again, we were bound to consider
what would most tend to reunite the liberal party, and it was in
opposition that the chances of such reunion would be likely to stand
highest, especially in view of coercion which many of the dissidents had
refused to contemplate. If he could remodel the bill or frame a new one,
that might be a p