The Life Of Charles Stewart Parnell - Ii

T. 44] 236
OHAPTEB XXII
A HEW TROUBLE
PABNBLX/S eareer, from his entrance into public life in 1875 until the beginning of 1890, had been almost an unbroken record of success. He had silenced faction, quelled dissensions, put down rivalries, reconciled opposing forces, combined Constitutionalists and Revo-lutionistB, healed tho ancient feud between Church and Fenians, and organised and disciplined the most formidable parliamentary army that a statesman ever lad—in a word, he had united the Irish race all the world ovcir, and placed himself at the head, not merely of a party, but of a nation. He had defeated almost all his enemies in detail Forster had been crushed, the Pope raptilsed, Mr, Gladstone conquered, the 1 Times * overthrown, the Tories shaken, the Liberals or subdued. No man, no party, no force which had come into conflict with him escaped unscathed.
It ©von looked as if the reverse of 1886 would be immediately wiped out, and that England, under the magic of Mr. Gladstone's influence, would at length grant the uttermost demands of the Irish leader.1 In
1 At tho General Election tho Government majority was 114. It had rteadily b«m winking year by year, since in 1887 it was 100 ; in 1BBB it w*t m; in IBM) it wai 711; In 1890 it wan 70 (Pall Mall Gazette, June *J7,18B8, and Annual Iteyfottr, 1890, p. 40),le F. Byrne to escape from justice/