Page:History of the Radical Party in Parliament.djvu/468

 454 History of the Radical Party in Parliament. [1859- were bad seasons, and the people, living hopelessly under the rule of alien laws, could only suffer and complain. The Act of 1860 was manifesting, to all who understood the question, its inability to do anything but increase the sense of injustice ; yet the English Government, speaking by the reckless mouth of the young Sir Robert Peel, declared that they considered that it was a final settlement of the question.* In times of distress all symptoms of bad government showed themselves, and this symptom of the shameful dominance of a foreign Church, as it touched the consciences and sympathies of an excitable people, was always uppermost. The Fenian out- break, which was beginning to organize itself, although it had not disestablishment as an aim, used it as an instrument, and from now to 1870 the question was never lost sight of. The American civil war attracted the attention of all parties throughout the session. The vindication of the cause of the North was a forlorn sort of hope for politicians, which only the strongest Radicals sustained, and in which Mr. Bright bore a noble part. But fortunately the principle of neutrality was supported by the Conservative leaders, and Disraeli especially was firm in its defence. On the other side, there were loud- mouthed boasters, like Roebuck and Laird, who did their best to embroil the two great nations in war. This feeling found its most extraordinary expression in a speech by Roebuck, on the 3Oth of June, when he moved a resolution in favour of recognition of the South. With an impertinence almost sublime, he declared, " As far as my influence goes, I am determined to do all I can to prevent the reconstruction of the union ; and I hope that the balance of power on the American continent will in future prevent any one state from tyrannizing over the world as the republic did." The resolu- tion was withdrawn ; but Palmerston, whilst he was too clever to be pushed into absolute intervention, was not wise enough or honest enough to be true to the spirit of the neutrality June, "that as the Land Act of 1860 had been inoperative, a royal commission might be appointed to consider the Irish land laws."
 * Speaking in reply to a resolution moved by Mr. Maguire on the 23rd of