The Life Of Charles Stewart Parnell - Ii

64 CHAELES STEWAET PAENELL [1885
Ireland would be often Orangemen, and in England often bigots or blockheads. His support was enormously important to the Tory party, and to get nothing in exchange for such a boon was not policy or strategy, but childish folly. What could he get, and how could he get it ? he demanded. You might get, I replied, the promise of a Select Committee or a Eoyal Commission to hear evidence and report on the best means of allaying Irish discontent; the best and only means being, as we knew, Home Eule. As to the method, I reminded him of what happened recently with respect to the late Eeform Bills; the leaders of the two parties met in private, and came to a compromise which their supporters accepted without controversy. 'Yes/ he said,' but an august personage was understood to have recommended that compromise, and he had no august personage to help him.' No, I rejoined, but he had something as decisive; he had the power of turning the Tory minority into a majority. If the new Government promised to consider Home Eule favourably there was probably not a seat in Ireland which they or we could not carry. Gray asked whom was Parnell to approach. The whips were worth nothing in such a case; they had no authority, and might be disavowed. I said I could put him into communication with a Cabinet Minister who was well disposed towards Ireland, even to the extent of desiring to give her self-government, and who was a man of integrity and honour, who might be relied upon to do whatever he promised. The man, I added, was the new Lord Lieutenant for Ireland, Lord Carnarvon. Parnell expressed much satisfaction, and we debated the method by which this opportunity might be made most fruitful. I said if Parnell abandoned the idea of vengeance on the.