“The Press” In 1866

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31118, 22 July 1966, Page 10

“The Press” In 1866

July 23 1 promised you in my last that you should have an account of the remainder of the Reform debate ... Mr Lowe's speech was the great feature of the Thursday’s debate. It certainly produced a very great effect on the House. But this was nothing compared with the excitement of the closing night, when the leaders of the two parties were to give the final blows to their antagonist It is fortunate that Mr Gladstone has an adversary worthy of his prowess. Mr Disraeli made a most eloquent speech, and he was cheered throughout by the Opposition, as if every word he said was unanswerable. The slashing attack he made on the Chancellor of the Exchequer for his orations at Liverpool

was uproariously received, and it would have been a great success had it not been for a blunder of which a debater of the standing of Mr Disraeli ought never to have been guilty: he actually twitted the leader of the House of Commons with inconsistency because, as a lad at Oxford, he had spoken some anti-reform language in a debate at the University. The conclusion of his speech was also absurd. ... Mr Gladstone’s peroration was extremely eloquent, and produced an indescribable effect on the House, which was not even obliterated by the excitement of the division, which followed. . . . The numbers were: for the Government 318: against 313 — majority 5. (From our own correspodnent London, May 26.)