New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-12-09
SIR STAFFORD NORTHCOTE.
WHY HE GOES YACHTING IN TIE MED
ITERkANEAN.

wanted him To go before the November cold and
fogs set in, with all their troop OF atmosphericu
abomin atoms. TIE autumn session detained him.
| So long the First Rule could be fought, he
STAYED to fight IL. That being passed. he feels him
sef ut liberty look after his health. All sorts Of
| good wishes 90 with him. Sir Stafford is popular
man on both sides of the House, and everybody
regrets that illness should compel him to vacate his
| post lie il sixty-f0ur wears old rather n young
man for his station In public life. and the expeca-
ton is that he will return IN season to resume bis
leadership of tho Opposition at the beginning OF
| next session.
There is. Of course, the usual gossip about Sir
| Stafford Northcotes temporary retirement, and
one hears hints that political as well as physical
causes have something to do with 1T. There has
been "a weak action of something besides the
| heart, remarks cynical observer. The Devon
shire baronet has been for six years leader of
| his party in the Lower House. Where has he led
itf FOR the vrent disaster of 1880 he cannot lie
| held primarily responsible. Lord BracOnsfeld was
then alive. and 30 long AS he lived the share as
sgned to anybody else in the responsible guldance
| of the party was very slight indeed. Lord Bea-
consfeld reigned and ruled. Perhaps it is hardly
reproach to sir Stafford that he was subsorvien to
| his great chief: for great as party chief Lord
| BeacOnsfeld certainly There was no choice
| except between obedience and open nutiny; ar
| LORD Derl ana LOfu ChIpaiNoh i"uh" anu Z"
| Lord Salisbury had found before them.
| But Lord Beaconsiield has now bren dead some
| thing more than a year and half. Sir Stafford
| Northcote and Lord Salisbury have divided be-
| tween them the garment he wore aud the sceptre
| he " ieldsd and what have they donef Again IT
| may be said that Sir St0foId has yielded to the
| stronger ana more daring spirit of his colleague
and that Lord salishury's rank IN the party is"
step higher than his. No doubt. but there has
been ;hls counterbalancng advantage on the Com
! mOneTs side that he is Comm0ner. The centre
| OF political authority is the House of Commons
| and not in the House of Lids. OF this advantage
| Sir Stafford has made little OF nothing. The re
| heated COMPLAINT of bis followers is that he Is
| leader who does not lead. And The Torres are
party who " ish to be led, in sense very different
from that III which the same remark Ucnid he maze
of the Liberals. They want somebody to GO thei
| political thinking for them; and their political
| speaking; somebody who can put into telling
| phrases their half iDaTtculato DISLIKE to any
cnange in things as they are. Mr.. Joseph Cowen
of Newcastle did il for them the other day In the
| matter of The closure. and their gratitude TO MIN
was of the most touching kind. They cheered hlm
as they have never cheered anybody since MI.
| Claiborne Hardy was translated into the upper
| House as Lord CranbroCk
Mr.. Claiborne Hardy. OF Lord Cranbrook, is not
/
WAS TO beat the drum He used to roll out sOnorous
| commoupaces with Guency aud passionate con
| vctIon that electrified the more sluggish squire
| who sat behind him. They believed lin him, and II
| is said Mr. Hardy really believed IN hmself. They
wanted him LOT leader wien Mn DIsraeh Inad'
| himself Earl OF Braconsfold ard there again MI
! Hardy was of one mind with his fellow sqnires
he coveted the post which fell to Sir Stafford but
! accented peerage instead. Lord BeacOnsheld, III
this as IN other matters of party discipline HAD
| established an ascendancy which nobody ventured
| to contest He. at any rate, was not the dnpe OF
sonorous commUnplaces. lie considered that the
party wanted safe leader, aud he chose Sir Stafford
| Northcote; ON whose perfect fidelity to himself,
moreover, he knew he could rely
A Lord Beaconsfeld's Chancellor Of the Ex
| cheouer, Sir Stafford Northcote did very well. He
| il a coed inancier and acquts himself wei III
| financial debate, except in those are moments OF
rashness when he tries fall with bis old mastef'
! Mr. Gladstone. As Leader Of the housr, also. dur
ing the same period, he dad very well. lie IS
uuch better leader Office than out of it; of much
| more approved valOI in defence than IN ATTACK
| Inc criticisms on him never became violent TIL
after the tremendous overthrow of the party III
| 1880 During that year The Tories hardly recov-
cred their breath But in 1881 they plucked up
little con, age and expected their leader 10 10 az
mnch. Lord Salisbury. it Is said. complained DiI-
| tory of the timid temper and policy OF MS lieu
tenant Ia the House of Commons. Properly backed
up by Sir Stafford, he Ill ght. as he believed. have
| thrown out the Irish Land bill IN the Lords. THIS
| wear the censure became more frequent and violent
| Lord Salisbury took no pains to conceal his rage
and disgust at the weakness OF Sir Saiord's resist
ance to Mr. Gladstones motion OF censure-for so
they called it. the House OF Lords in the matero
| the Committee of inquiry INTO the Land Act. And
| there were other points on which must not dwell.
The sum OF all is that with large section OF ths
Tory party the dissatisfaction with Sir Stafford
NorhcOtes leadership has all along been deep and
OF late has been growing loud.
Not, however. with the more respectable wing of
the party in the House of Commons The country
gentlemen stand by Sir Stafford They supported
him at both the recent meetings at the Carlton
Club. But the restless spirits among the Conserva-
tyes, the ambitions. the place-hunters. the fiery
souls who in Mr.. Gladstone the Destroyer OF bis
| Country, the young sprlgs Of nobility. the disap
| pointed diplomatists. and the men one OF whom
| Lord Edmund Fltzmaurce witty called disin-
| terested lawyer-these and many more are OF
opinion that Sir Stafford has not enough fight in
him. The chosen perhaps sef-chosen. leader of this
| company Of guerillas is Lord Randolph Churchill.
| Behind him Ii the sinister figure OF Lord Salisbury.
| Openly Lord Salisbury stands by Sir Stafford;
speaks well Of him in public, and proclaims tns'
between himtelf aud his colleague there exists the
most beautiful harmony. But if. with all this he
docs not lend private cOuntenance to the mutinouS
escapadcs of Lord Randolph Churchill Lord Sails
bury is much beed. That Sir Stafford has mcipl-
ent disease of the heart only too true. That IL
would have been serious enough TO require n lesl'
Gence abroad il no Lord Randolph Churchill were IN
existence few people believe. The amlabe. accom-
| plIsbed. elderly gentleman whose face, venerable
before its time is 80 kindly looked on in the Honse.
has been worried out "f health. Nobody perhaps
ould regret 1t more than the vvacious young