The Life of the Rt. Hon. Sir Charles W. Dilke, vol 2

The Life of the Rt. Hon. Sir Charles W. Dilke, vol 2

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Title: The Life of the Rt. Hon. Sir Charles W. Dilke, Vol. 2
Author: Stephen Gwynn
Release Date: July, 2005 [EBook #8540] [Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on July 21, 2003]
Edition: 10
Language: English
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THE LIFE OF THE RT. HON.
SIR CHARLES W. DILKE
BART., M.P.
BEGUN BY STEPHEN GWYNN, M.P.
COMPLETED AND EDITED BY
GERTRUDE M. TUCKWELL
LITERARY EXECUTRIX OF SIR CHARLES DILKE
WITH PORTRAITS AND ILLUSTRATIONS
IN TWO VOLUMES
VOL. II.

CONTENTS OF VOL. II.

CHAPTER
XXXIV. HOME AFFAIRS (OCTOBER, 1883, TO DECEMBER, 1884)
XXXV. EGYPT (1884)
XXXVI. FRANCHISE AND REDISTRIBUTION (JULY TO DECEMBER, 1884)
XXXVII. FOREIGN AFFAIRS IN 1884
XXXVIII. DIVIDED COUNSELS (JANUARY AND FEBRUARY, 1885)
XXXIX. THE FALL OF KHARTOUM AND THE PENJDEH INCIDENT
XL. REDISTRIBUTION: COERCION AND DEVOLUTION (1885)
XLI. FALL OF ADMINISTRATION (JUNE TO JULY, 1885)
XLII. OUT OF OFFICE (JULY, 1885)
XLIII. THE TURNING-POINT (JULY, 1885, TO JULY, 1886)
XLIV. THE RADICAL PROGRAMME VERSUS HOME RULE (JULY TO DECEMBER, 1885)
XLV. BEGINNING OF THE HOME RULE SPLIT (DECEMBER, 1885, TO FEBRUARY, 1886)
XLVI. THE FIRST HOME RULE BILL (FEBRUARY TO JULY, 1886)
XLVII. LADY DILKE--76, SLOANE STREET
XLVIII. FOREIGN POLICY
XLIX. PUBLIC LIFE AND RETURN TO PARLIAMENT (1886-1894)
L. INDIA AND FRANCE--RHODES AND BISMARCK (1886-1892)
LI. PERSONAL LIFE--IN OPPOSITION (1895-1904)
LII. LABOUR (1870-1911)
LIII. WORK FOR NATIVE RACES (1870-1911)
LIV. THE BRITISH ARMY
LV. IMPERIAL DEFENCE
LVI. ARMY AND NAVY IN PARLIAMENT
LVII. DEATH OF LADY DILKE--PARLIAMENT OF 1905
LVIII. FOREIGN AFFAIRS (1890-1910)
LIX. THE LAST YEARS
LX. LITERARY WORK AND INTERESTS
LXI. TABLE TALK
INDEX
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS TO VOL. II
SIR CHARLES W. DILKE IN THE YEAR 1908 From a drawing by W. Strang.
MRS. MARK PATTISON From a photograph taken about 1878.
SIR THOMAS WENTWORTH, 1ST BARON WENTWORTH (DIED MARCH 3RD, 1550-51) From a painting ascribed to Theodore Bernardi.
BISMARCK From a photograph given by him to Sir Charles W. Dilke.
SIR CHARLES W. DILKE ROWING From a photograph reproduced by permission of the Daily Mirror.
DOCKETT EDDY From photographs.
PYRFORD ROUGH From photographs.
LADY DILKE IN THE YEAR 1903 From a photograph by Thomson.

THE LIFE OF SIR CHARLES DILKE

CHAPTER XXXIV
HOME AFFAIRS
OCTOBER, 1883-DECEMBER, 1884
I.
The interval between the Sessions of 1883 and 1884 was critical for the question of electoral reform which interested Liberals beyond all other questions, but involved the risk of bringing dissensions in the Cabinet to the point of open rupture. As the months went by, Mr. Chamberlain and Lord Hartington used less and less concealment of their differences, while it was well known to all the Cabinet that the alliance between Chamberlain and Dilke was complete and unconditional. Whoever broke with Chamberlain broke with Dilke. Fortunately a certain bond of personal sympathy, in spite of divergent views, existed between Lord Hartington and Sir Charles Dilke, and this bond largely helped to hold Mr. Gladstone's Government together.
In the negotiations which followed between the leaders of the two great Parties, Sir Charles Dilke was able to show the full measure of his value to the State. It was of first-rate importance that the Liberal Party should possess at that moment a representative with whom Lord Salisbury found it congenial to treat, and whom the most advanced Liberals trusted unreservedly to treat with Lord Salisbury.
The same confidence could hardly have been given by them to Lord Hartington, who held that "equalization of the franchise was pressing mainly on account of the pledges that had been given, and not much for any other reason." [Footnote: Letter to Mr. Gladstone of October 24th, 1883, quoted by Mr. Bernard Holland in his Life of the Duke of Devonshire, vol. i., p. 395.] Most Liberals took a very different view of the need for this reform. Further, Lord Hartington held that franchise and redistribution should be treated simultaneously, and he was unwilling to extend the franchise in Ireland.
At a Cabinet on October 25th, 1883, the question