JUSTIN McCARTHY INTERVIEWED.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIV, Issue 43, 18 February 1887, Page 13

JUSTIN McCARTHY INTERVIEWED.

"What do you think of Mr. Chamberlain's overture to the Liberals. in his speech at Biimingham on the 23rd ult ? " was asked of Mr. McCarthy in Boston the other day.

"It was a very sudden change," replied Mr. McCarthy, rather dryly ; " but no more sudden, you may remember, than his defection from Mr. Gladstone. It is not unexpected that Chamberlain would come round to the Liberal party again. Besides being a man of great talent and exceeding energy, he is an intensely ambitious mia — ambitious, I believe, within proper and laudable bounds ; and he knows that the political cireer be desires is possible for him only within the Liberal ranks. The Tory Ministry would not offer him office ; it could not afford to d ) so, njv could he afford to accept it if offered. His following, like Hartingtoa's, is very small. He one j had considerable strength with the people of Birmingham, but his recent course has greatly weakened it. He is not a mau of the people."'

" What do you think will bj the effect of Churchill's present action upon his future career ? "

" That depends upon the reasons which led him to resign. If ho resigned from whim, from mere caprice, it will injure him. If it turns out that he can show that there was some gross muddling in the accounts of the Admiralty, or that foreign alliances were projected of which he could not approve, or that he found his colleagues impracticable and unmanageable on the Irish que-tion, and was unable to batter sense or jistice into them— in either of these three contingencies — I think that his course will help his political career far more than it will injure it. I believe that he has a substantial reason for his resignation. I venture to say that he knows what ho is doing, for he is a shrewd as well as an audacious man. If I weie a, betting man, now " — pursued Mr. McCarthy, warming up into great interest — •' I would lay a wager that Lud Randolph has acted sagaciously, and will win by it more than he loses."'

"He is reported as promising the Government a ' general support ? '" was suggested.

" Oh, that is a mere form ; it means nothing. It is done every time a member of a Cabinet resigns. He will not give the Government support, although he will probably oppose Mr. Gladstone "

" 1 think," said Mr. McCarthy in conclusion, " that the political situation induced by Churchill's lesignation brings the Liberal puty within sight of power. All things seem to work together for goo I to the Irish party. No Government can ltve that does not take them into account. They are the rock upon wh'ch successive Ministries go down. Coercion in Ireland under Mr. Gladstone's former ministry, at the ill-advised instance of thu late Mr. Forstcr, was as fatal to his Government as it was, and will be again, to Lord Salisbury's. As to what will now be done by the, Liberals and Nationalists, I presume the first thins after the rc-assembhng of Parliament will be a vigorous attack on the policy of t tie Government, and luo not give the Government a much longer lease of lite.'