After the passing of this important act, Mr Gladstone came into power with
a large Liberal majority. He had long been one of the foremost orators and
debaters of the party. Originally a Conservative, he had become a
freetrader with Sir Robert Peel, and for the next few years was a
prominent member of the Peelite party. During Lord Palmerston's second
administration, he made a most successful Chancellor of the Exchequer. For
some years he had represented Oxford University as a Conservative; but at
the general election of 1865, he lost his seat owing to the liberal
tendencies he had lately shown. Henceforward he became one of the most
decided Liberals; and after the retirement of Earl Russell in 1866, he
became the leader of that party.
[Illustration: William Ewart Gladstone. (From a Photograph by R. W.
Thomas.)]
Under him many reforms were carried. The Protestant Episcopal Church of
Ireland, whose adherents formed only a small minority of the population,
was disestablished. Thus at one blow a very important element of the
religious difficulty, which had caused so much trouble in Ireland, was
removed. A measure was also passed, giving the Irish tenant a greater
interest in the soil which he cultivated.
Of all the great measures for the benefit of the working classes which
have been passed during the present century, none deserves a higher place
than the Education Bill of 1870.
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