The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1878-05-30
Lord John Russell.
New York Graphic.I

The announcement by cable of the
death of Lord John Russell was pre-
mature. The Earl is even reported some
what better, although there is but slight
ground for hopes Of his recovery. He
is in his eighty-sixth year, having been
born in London in 1892, and has been
twice married-frst to the widow of
Lord Ribblesdale in 1885; and, secondly,
to the daughter of the Earl of Minto,
in 1841. He was educated at Edinburgh,
and imbibed there very pronounced
Liberal opinions, which he has since re-
tanned. He entered Parliament as one
of the members for the family borough
of Tavistock, in 1918, and during the
greater part of the sixty-fve years that
have sinced passed he has been in active
political life. 1t is, however, some two
or three years since he has spoken in the
House of Lords. He has recently been
saddened by the death of his son, Lord
Amberly, and by the struggle which he
was compelled to make to obtain the
custody of his grandsons. Lord Russell
has sat in Pariaments convened by
George III, George " and Victoria. He
began the struggle for Parliamentary re-
form in 1920, when Mr.. Gladstone was
boy eleven years old; he advocated
Catholic emancipation and the repeal of
the Test acts, and he defended Queen
Caroline. He had the triumph in 1879
of seeing the Catholic Relief bill be-
come law and welcoming fifty Catholic
gentlemen to seats in the House of Com
mons. Then he took up the subject of
electoral reform; and in 1882 he had
the delight of seeing the first Reform
bill passed. He had then become one
of the most popular men in the king
dom, and was everywhere greeted as the
embodiment of progress. He first took
Office in 1880 in Earl Grey's Ministry.
From 1885 till 1841 he was Home Sec
retary and the guiding spirit of Lord
Melbourne's Administration. From 1841
till 1916 he was in Opposition; but in
1916 his party again came into power
and he was made Premier and held the
Office until 1852. 1t was during this
period that he committed the most
foolish act of his official life-tbe one so
wittily described in Punch as Little
Johnny Russell chalking up No Popery'
on Cardinal Wiseman's door, and then
running around the corner" Under
the administration of Earl of Aberdeen
Lord Russell was Secretary for Foreign
Affairs, and Lord President of the
Council. In this capacity he brought
forward another Reform bill, but
this was subsequently Withdrawn.
He was Foreign Secretary under Pal
merston from 1859 until the death of
that nobleman in 1865. He had mean
while been raised to the peerage as Earl
Russell. On the death of Palmerston
he became Premier for the second time,
and with Mr.. Gladstone as his Chancel-
lor of the Exchequer, and majority of
eighty in the Commons, he brought in
the Reform bill. The measure was de-
feated in 1866; the Ministery resigned /;
and after that time Earl Russell con-
tented himself with an independent
political career.
In person Earl Russell is not at all i'm
posing He isshort, rather badly shaped,
and dresses in sty lie which exaggerates
his physical imperfections. As an ora
tor he was never very attractive, and of
late years it was painful to hear him
speak at any length. His titles and es-
tates descend to his grandson, the son of
the late Lord Amberley, who is at
present boy of tender years.