The Life Of Charles Stewart Parnell - Ii

44 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL [1885
public meetings in England. He laughed contemptuously at the suggestion. He would concentrate all his efforts to bring English statesmen to his feet. Then he would let them convert the English people. That was his plan of operation.
Parnell liked few men; above all, he liked few Englishmen. Yet he regarded Lord Eandolph Churchill with no unfriendly feelings. He thought that the young Tory Democrat possessed generous instincts, entertained kindly feelings towards the Irish, and was full of originality, resource, and courage. A pleasant companion, frank, witty, joyous, with a dash of fun and mischief, there was no English member with whom Parnell would rather spend an hour in the Smoking-room of the House of Commons than this Eadical who was born a Tory. But would Lord Eandolph take up Home Eule? Well, Parnell was of opinion that he was as likely to take it up as any other Englishman, and (at the worst) for the same reason—to get into office ; at his best, however, Parnell believed that Lord Eandolph was more likely to be genuinely touched by the Irish case than any of his compatriots. He also had a shrewd suspicion that there was nothing which this rattling young Tory would relish more keenly than ' dishing ' the Whigs—except, perhaps, ' dishing' the Tories. But if he were drawaa towards Home Eule, would he bring the Tory party with him? Of this Parnell had grave doubts. Yet he was satisfied that with Lord Eandolph's help he could at least create a diversion on the Tory side which would fill the Liberals with alarm and force them forward in his direction.
Politically, Parnell held the member for Birmingham in high esteem. They had combined to throw overid that he ought to address;ght to fix the boundary of the march of a nation. No man has a right totforms by a million voices that the