The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-05-19
THE NEW BRITISH CABINET.
Sketches ofthe NOW bnRiish Premier and
tho Mon Selected by Him to Form HIS
Cabinet.
WILLIAM E. GLADSTONE.

and brother of Sir Thomas Gladstone, OF
Fasque, county Kincardine, Scotland,
who is stanch conservative and hearty
admirer of Lord Beaconsfeld. Mr..
Gladstone's father became a wealthy
Liverpool merchant, and the future pre-
mier, though of purely Scottish ances-
try, was born at the Lancashire seaport
December 90, 1909. Educated at Eton
and Mt Christ church, Oxford, where he
graduated with double first class honors
in 1881, he entered parliament for New
ark. in December, 1882, as conserva-
tive. He is consequently one of the very very
few members of the parliament of 1850
who sat in that body prior to the great
reform act of 1888. His earlier official
career was in subordinate posts in the
various ministries presided over by Sir
Robert Peel. Separating from his tradi-
tional associations he became chancellor
of the e1chequer in the coalition cabinet
of Lord Aberdeen in 1852. filled the same
post in two ministries of Lord Palmer
ston and one of Earl Russell (ls65), and
presided as first lord of the treasury over
the liberal cabinet OF ls68-74. His emf
nence as political and religious writer
and as a student of Homer is well
known.
EARL GRANVILLE.
Lord Granville. the secretary for
foreign affairs is one of the veterans in
English public life. He had sat in the
commons ten years when he succeeded
to the peerage in 1846, so that although
he is now in his sixty-sixth year, he
has been in politics forty-four years.
His reputation as courtier statesman
may be traced to his official relations
with the royal household, where he
held the office of master of the buck
hounds during the first two years OF
Lord John Russell's first administration.
The expulsion OF Lord Palmerston from
the foreign Office in 1851 enabled Lord
Granville for o few months to fill the
post which he subsequently occupied
during Mr.. Gladstone's administration.
In;the administrations ofLord Aberdeen,
Lord PaImerston and Lord Russell lie
was president of council. In 1859 he
narrowly escaped being made premier,
when the queen found it difficult to
choose between Lord Palmerston and
Lord John Russell. Under Mr.. Glad
stones administration he was colonial
and subsequently, foreign secretary, and
the leader of the Liberal party in the
house of lords.
LORD sELBoRNE.
Lord Selborne (Sir Roundell Palmer),
the new lord high chancellor, was born
in 1919. and educated al Oxford, where
he carried off several prizes, fellow
ship, q law scholarship, and chancel-
lur's prize. He was made queens coun-
sci in l849, He entered parliament in
ls47, was defeated in 1852. and re-
elected several times. In 1864 ne
entered office as attorney general, and
went out with the Russell ministry in
1865. Mr.. Gladstone offered him chan.
cellorship in 1863, but he declined on
the ground that he could not support
the premier on the question of the dis
establishment of the Irish church. His
disintercstedness in resigning a great
prize which might never again come
within his grasp gave MIN the reputa-
aion of q statesman of high principle,
for few men in English public life,
would have declined the office under
the same circumstances. In 1877 he
was counsel for the British government
at the Geneva court OF arbitration, and
was subsequently raised to the peerage
under his present title.
SIR WILLIAM vERNON-HARCOURT
Sir William Verpon-Harcourt, secre'
tary of state for the home department
is the grandson of the Canon Of York
was born in 1927, educated at Cam
bridge, was called to the bar in 1854
and was appointed a queens counsel II
1865, and professor of international law
at Cambridge in 1859. His essays, con
tributed to the leading English journa
over the signature of I" "Historicus,
gave him an international reputation
In 1868 he was elected to parliament
fibm the city of Oxford, and in Novem
Der, 1873, he became solicitor general anC
was knighted. He retired from Office
in 1874 with Mr.. Gladstone's ministry
Although he was an ardent supporter o
the premier's legislation for Ireland, h'
has not been on very friendly term!
with him during recent years. The po
sition which he had gained in parlia
ment and in the councils of his party
gave him a claim to one Of the bes
places in the cabinet. His wife is Al
American, daughter of John LathroI
Motley.
THE DUKE OF ARGYLL
The Duke of Argyll. lord of the privy
seal, was born in 1923 and succeeded tx
the dukedom, of which he is the eighth
in the line, in lS47. In 1852 he was ap'
pointed lord of the privy seal in thu
ministry Lord Aberdeen. He retained
the office under Lord Palmerston til
1855, when he was made postmaster
general. In 1859 he was again made
lord of the privy seal and in 1858 he be-
came secretary Of state for India. He is
one of the great personages OF English
public life. He speaks in loud voice
with monotonous tone like Scotch
preacher, and is intensely argumentati7e
and logical. His son, the governor.
general of Canada, is the hus band Of the
Princess Louise. This is the first and
only instance of the marriage of q
daughter of rcigning English sover-
eign to subject.
JOHN BRIGHT.
John Bright, chancellor of the Duchy
of Lancaster, has been for forty years
one of the sturdiest figures in English
public life. Taking his stand with Cob
den in the organization Of the anti-corn
law associations of 1888, he entered
parliament in ls43, and labored unceas.
ingly until the corn laws were repealed
in lS49. As q member Of the Society OF
Friends, he has always opposed war
ornaments and foreign campaigns. In
consequence of this polity he lost his
seat in the commons in 1857, but was
subsequently, returned for Birmingham:
| In 1868. he became president ofthe board
of trade, and subsequently chancellor OF
the Duchy of Lancaster. Owing to the
failure of his health he was compelled
in 1870 to resign his seat in the cabinet.
While with these exceptions, lie has re-
mained on the floor of the commons,
disliking the restraints Of office, he has
acquired a mastery of public business
besides being unrivalled in debate.
Economic questions, the extension of the
suffrage, Indian finance, land tenure,
poor rates, colonial policy. commercial
treatise and international arbltratlon
have clinched the attention Of this prac-
tical rs we'll as eloquent Quaker. He is
especially familiar with the operations
of the Irish land laws. He returns now
to the Office formerly held by him.