ried to raise the standard of
revolt against Mr. Lowther; and, of course, had finally to accept the
consequences of Mr. Lowther's acts. Joe was there too; much more active
in sympathy with Jimmy than Mr. Balfour. With all his faults, there is
a certain saving refinement in Mr. Balfour--it is not a refinement that
has restrained him from being cruel with the hysteric violence of the
effeminate, but it is a refinement that preserves him from the mere
Newmarket horseplay of Jimmy Lowther, and the thin rancour of a
Brummagem drummer. Joe, I say, was there, ready to back up Jimmy in his
worst exploits, but, after all, Jimmy was the leader. In this mighty
struggle--not merely for the reconciliation of England and Ireland, but
for the existence of Parliamentary institutions--the stakes are no
smaller--the gentlemen of England were represented by Mr. Lowther, and
the rude democracy by Mr. Gladstone. Democrats need not feel much
ashamed of the contrast.

[Sidenote: The apotheosis of Jimmy.]

But there Jimmy Lowther was, gulping and obstructing, obstructing and
gulping. The deadly and almost animal dulness of the performance I must
insist on again and again. Mr. Lowther does not speak--he is as
inarticulate as one of the prize bulls which, I doubt not, he delights
to view at Islington what time the Agricultural Hall opens its portals
to fat men and fat beasts. 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.