In August, 1892, the Salisbury Government was succeeded by the Gladstone Government, and Mr. Arnold Morley became Postmaster General. On August 28, 1893, Mr. W. E. Gladstone, First Lord of the Treasury, in reply to a question from Mr. Macdonald, said: "Questions may be raised, on which I have no judgment to give on the part of the Government, as to how far, for example, it is desirable for the public functionaries to make use of their position as voters for the purpose of obtaining from candidates promises or engagements tending directly to the advantage of public servants in respect of pay and promotion. These are matters which we deem not undeserving of consideration; but still they do not form the subject of any decision on the part of Her Majesty's Government in the nature of a restraint."[155] In accordance with the policy thus announced, the Gladstone Ministry rescinded Sir James Fergusson's order of June 17, 1892.[156] [Sidenote: _Mr. Macdonald demands a Select Committee_] In September, 1893, while the House was in Committee of Supply, Mr. Macdonald[157] moved "a reduction of $500 in respect of the Salary of the Postmaster General", in order to bring before the committee the demand of the Post Office employees for "an independent inquiry by a Parliamentary Committee." He stated "that in 1891 the present Postmaster General [Mr. Arnold Morley] voted in favor of an inquiry such as that for which he [Mr. Macdonald] now asked, and he wished to know whether anything had occurred to cause the Right Honorable Gentleman to change his view since that time."[158] The Postmaster General, Mr. Morley, replied: "He was asked how he could account for his vote in 1891 when he had supported the Motion of the noble Earl, the Member for Barnsley [Earl Compton]? He accounted for it on two grounds: He had supported the proposal, which was an unprecedented one, because there was an unprecedented condition of discontent prevailing throughout the Postal and Telegraph Service--or, he confessed, he was under that impression at the time. The condition of things in various branches of the Service was serious. There had been an _émeute_ in the Savings Bank Department, and whether with reason or without reason, the whole of the Services were discontented with their position. The condition of things at present, however, did not bear out the idea that there was anything like general discontent prevailing. He accounted for his action on another ground. Since 1891 large concessions had been made, with enormous additional expense to the country, and that made the state of things very different to what it was when he supported the noble Earl's Motion."