New-York tribune., 1875-02-18
THE ENGLISH LIBERALS.
CHOICE OF A NEW LEADER.

fLUENbES WhiCH SFCOhiD
THE MARQUIS OF HARTINGroN-THE "h'"o
FORCED TO ACCEPT DEMOCRATIC FORMS
rrRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE
LONDON. Feb. mir. Forsters withdrawal from
the contest for the beral leadership was Dehe'e'
asr,nrise In great mart of his friends and support
ora Some of tbr reasons for his withdrawal ITO on
,ba surf,ce others nre less known. but II may DO
roid that 1t was step far moro Important 10 inc
fntrre of the Liberal Party than the choice Oh LoTd
1Ior,;ngton. which became by Mr. Forster's retire
ment n foregone conclusion. look upon the decl-
sion thus taken as an act OF magnanlmity anu vi
prudence If this opinion seems paradoxical ~ Is
because tho circumstances are unprecedented ID 'no
HISTORY of English party hfe 1t was an act OF mag
nanimity because Mr.. Forster strongly desired the
most for which he a candid lte, and because, had
ha rerseyered he would almost certainly have been
chosen II was an act of prudence because-iooklng
M Il for the m nent in its personal bearings merely
tAe withdrawal is not in all probability sacrlnce
Of bis aspirations for GOOD, but only postponement
of tho formal recognition by the party OF his CLAIMS
10 the first place In it,
This latter las all along seemed to mo 80 certain
that thought il for Mr. ForstcTs nterestnot no" W
be candidate ut all. There IS not much 10 DO saipo
Inv leading a party which will not be LED; OF oy
holding tho position Of nominal chief over nan
dozen wrangllng factions disprited by de1eal' auu
;pcop,ble ot present of combining for common
ol6ect IL ls hard 10 make out what Mr. BrlSht
meant Yesterday by saying that the party Is toll
erably unanimous about the ethngs atought 10 DC
done II he were challenged to descend from gen.
eratics to particulars he would find 1t dlihcuit 10
name single measure of tho first class on which
,be Marty would not Immediately split. 1t only
holds together by sort OF capillary attractoh
Its despondepcy about its own future can only DO
described as abject and its professions OF hopeless
ness Of recOyeIiu9 its bold on the country are uSlng
as much as any.hmg TO D1olong the Tory lease OF
power. If Mr.. Gladstone. with the preStige OF sue
cess and the habit of control. could not keep II
together what chance has new leader to reunlte
ito scattered legOLs The time for that Will come
Int ttbemost that any man now do is to MAINTAIN
some kind Of order in camp, and to see that the seu
tries are posted night This is not task In
ing to man who feels that he has In him the SUN
for real governing and the capacity for leading ds
ciplined hest to battle 1t Is not task IN whien
renown is TO be won or by which confidence could
he established. Mr. Forster has the kind OF tact
which would enable him TO undertake thankiess
labor of that kind with as much hope of success as
onybody could have. The difficulty is that success
" impossible ut present Lord Harrington has been
q good deal laughed at for saying last week III DIS
Sussex speech, that the main duty OF the LlO-
erals at present was to watch Mr. Disraeli That is
not very inspiIiting declaration to come from q
man who aspires to lead great party-it was great
once-in the House of Commons. But his perception
of the facts was not much at fault The mistake was
in making public admission of them. He prob
ably mentioned that one among bis future duties
which will he the most irksOme to him. There Is
nothing of which Lord Harrington has heretofore
given less evidence than close attention to the
course of affairs.
On the whole I should say that while it would
have been of great advantage to the Liberal party
be led by Nr Forster in this crisis of It's history
il was not for his advantage to take the post. lie
can afford TO wait. few Years hence he WILL II DIS
friends Judgment of his abilities be accurate have
proved himself Indispensable and will accede to
power-not as now, to the scmblance OF It, The
frnncheon of ofice-if there were such thing
woud prove now but barren soepter in his gr1pe J;
or I'm apybodys else BY that time the bitterness OF
sectarian opposition to Mr. Forster VIII have worn
Itself out His letter of withdrawal shows how
keeply he felt that he could expect no loyalty from
the extreme wing of the NoncOnfOrmists. 1t now
appears to me clear" he writes. that should not
receive that general support without which ought
not TO attempt fulfill the duties OF this most dllh
emit tbongh honorable post" And the reason he
1yos for declining in advance is his anxious desire
not to he made cause of dlSunOn in the party. In
this. Mr. Forsters disinterested sincerity is beyond
oneston He did not at all take the view have in
dcated above of the mpossbility of successful lead
ersblp for some time 10 come He plainly felt him
self strong enough to infuse courage into his follow
ers and impOse obedience The fact that he had this
confidence is one proof Of bis fitness to attempt such
task But shall not be far wrong, perhaps, IN at
tributing Mr. Forster's final determination to the
opposition which developed itself among his late
colleagues to his nomination. 1t was from them.
and not from the irreconciables of Birmingham, that
the true danger of disuniOn was to be found Mr.
Gladstone and Mr.. Bright are both understood to
have declared their preference for Lord harrington
over Mr.. Forster. 1t is not unnatural that they
should prefer an arrangement which would leave
them their former ascendency in party councils, to
one which would place authority in the hands OF a
man certain to WELD it under the guidance of his
OWN Judgment. Into the reasons which influenced
lesser men need not enter. In the case of Sir Will
liam Harcourt, antagonism of temperament OF per-
sonal ambition of political objects, and OF class III
terosts all made him Mr.. FOrsters most strenuous
opponent Sir William has como forward very rap
idly but the resignation OF MIR. Gladstone was a
little premature for his purposes. lie had hardly
reached a position in which he could expect the
party to accept him its chief. With characteristic
sacacty-for no man has a shrewderinstnct for what
will do and will not dO-Sir William suppressed his
own capdidature in favor of the Marquis of Harting
ton. lis supposed that his influence with the Mar
ouis of Harrington during the nominal leadership
Of the latter Will be considerable Then, by the time
that events outerow Lord Harrington, Sir William
Varcourt may be ready to contest in his own name
with Mr. Forster and all cOmers, the supremacy he
coyets To all appearance the struggle will then lie
really between them. There can hardly be better
test of Mr. Forsters present strength than the prob
ability OF his yesterday had he allowed his
name 10 90 before the meeting of Liberal members