He cannot stand on his legs for five minutes
together without saying half-a-dozen times, "I repeat what I have
already said;" he has no ideas, no language, nothing except sheer
bull-headed power of standing on his legs, and occupying a certain
amount of time. Everybody knows that Lowtherism reached its climax on
Saturday, March 11th. On that day, men, who had held high office, were
not ashamed to resort to so mean and palpable an obstructive expedient
as to put on paper twenty-two questions to their successors in office.
The previous Friday had been bad enough. That was the day which tried
Mr. Gladstone more, perhaps, than any day for many a year; and, indeed,
it tried others as much as he, though not everybody bore it with the
same iron and inflexible courage. There were large absences--some of the
Irish away at conventions in Ireland, others without that legitimate
excuse; there were Liberal absentees as well. Obstruction, meantime,
stalked triumphantly; and when the divisions came, our strength sank
down to almost invisible figures. Ah! it was saddening to look at Mr.
Gladstone's face throughout that long morning sitting of Friday, March
10th.
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