I wonder too sometimes, but with less of hope, whether yours will be a party which will be content to forego that political propagandism which seems chiefly favoured in England when applied to the weaker countries which profess the Catholic faith, and which, in those countries, seems to impair religion much more than it increases temporal prosperity; and, lastly, whether it will have enough moderation to admit that the protection of the public law of Europe ought not to be denied to the States of the Church, merely because a neighbouring power demands them in the name of Italian unity.
Such, my dear Gladstone, are the thoughts of a somewhat indolent, but not indifferent observer of what is going on around him. They are put before you neither to elicit opinions nor to provoke controversy, but to explain how it is that an old friend, who loves and admires you, should withhold his support, insignificant as it is, at the very moment when, as the leader of a party, you might be thought to have justly earned it.
Yours aff'ly,
JAMES R. HOPE-SCOTT.
The Right Hon'ble W. E. Gladstone, &c. &c. &c.
The Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, M.P. to J. R. Hope-Scott, Esq., Q.C.
Hawarden, N.W.: Nov. 1, '68
My dear Hope-Scott,—Everything in your handwriting is pleasant to read, and I thank you sincerely for your letter.
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When I come to the gros of your letter touching politics, I own it appears to me that we have a moral title to your serious and even strenuous aid.