New-York tribune., 1885-08-16
MR.. FORSTER.
HIS REVOLT AGAINST THE CAUCUS-Hls
ORATORY-HIS CAREER.

"'' LONDON, August 3;
Among the worst things that can be said OF the
Caucus in England Is that it tries to bsnish ihuo'
pendence from public life. 1t has declared war; ior
example, on Mr.. Forster who, among living
English statesmen, is one Of the most indepehden',
as ne is ono of the most Liberal in the best sense
the word. He has been for nearly quarter OF
century representative of Bradford In tho houSe
of Commons. He has been great figure there ana
before the country at large. lie has been Cabinet
Minister. Some of tho most beneficent reforms IN
this generation are identified with his name. Inc
most benefcent of all, the Education Act OF ioIo'
was his work Few men have done so mncn ior
Liberalism or arc to-day better exponents OF .ne
canse which bears that name or likely TO nc peVvo,
servants of it, Yet he is ostracscd by the so-caoo
Liberal Association of Bradford Under inc ho"
Franchise Act, Bradford is split up into dVis'on''
and Mr. Forster can never again be member for tho
whole borough He has to say good-by to the con-
stituencv which has stood by him through hve anu
twentv years In order TO render some account 10
them of his long stewardship, he asked the Liberai
Association to summon, in the usual way. ameetlhg
of the Liberal electors of the town. They reiusou'
The refusal seems to me IN act ot petty sp''o,,'-
ness of which they will some day Do he"'"J
ashamcd an act which illustrates and condemns
tho sr,rit in which the Caucus is now worked. IL
could have no OtncE IcSulJ th'h y"
Forster the duty of calling together his own meet.
,no Fven the little politicians who compose TINS
asaociation could not imagine they would DO
aIlo,ced 70 stand between the people OF Bradtord
q nd tho member for Bradford Thcy could annoy
They could not cmbarrass. And 10 on S"tur"ay
some 3 COO citizens OF this great Yorkshire town
assembled TO hear the farewell speech OF their
representative.
Mr.. Forster often says OF himself that he IL no
orator His speeches. it may bo. lack some Oh ."o
art which goes 10 the most finished oratory but the
hast of them are singularly Impressive IL ~
evident that tho speaker knows the secret oil MS
own strength He Is well advised In pntting asiuo
tho artifces by which the rhetorician seeks u
persuade or convince This naturalness OF mahiio'
in worth all the hackucyed tricks OF the ttauc'
Simplicity and directness Of speech are qualities
which Will never lose their force with an English
audience. or an American either. homeiiness Oh
phrase. indeed is a thing which many practsed
soeak,r strives after in vain. To Mr. Forster II
comes without effort. In yigor nobody excels him.
He said of himself on Saturday. characteristicaiy
there is some life in tho old dog yet aud some fight
left in the old man IL is astonishing tn he reminded
that Mr. Forster is nearer seventy than sixty years
old
He has declared tho secret or one secret oil MS
strength as a statesman In early manhood his lac
WAS rather solitary; he had timo to read ana 10
think. and he then formed those political opinions
which ne has spent the last twenty hye years III
advocating These are DAYS whom people toll you
that convictions are superluous aud principles NJ a
discount. aud they point to shining examples Vi
youpg men, and somo old. who 20 fast anu lar III
potics without either. Bat If n thing Is valuable
IN nroportion 20 its rarity the man who has both
does well TO cling TO them In great crises, OF on
great matters OF policy the note oil sincerity "
worth all the rcst and by sincerity do not mean
the sincerity born OF the moment. TO be sncceehoo
BIZ adcrent sincerity thenext. Lifelong adherence
10 settled views Is stiiarecOmmondAiont 20 ophO-
III, aThou'rt n trimmer" screamed ont some ldlot
from tho Bradford audience. The charge has been
heard before. II dates from the days when MI
Forster angered tho DisscDters by what they
thonyh. needless concessions 10 the Church in the
Education Act Mr. Chamberiain. once the
b;tterc,t critic of Mr. Forster and still hostile TO
him. has supplied an answer 20 that stale charge,
which was OF his own bcgetting. Mr.. Chamberlain
nrouounccl tho Education Act the greatest lcgis-
lative achievement Of the generation Mr Forster
nodesly SAYS he has had morc credit for 1t than lac
descryed lie has had les IL w0ald have bcen
done without him. he says, though not quito so
soon Bnt he admits il woald have been dan gerous
60 wait.
No man can say how dangerous. statesman is
bonnd to look into the future Undoubtedly Mr.
Forster saw household suffrage IN tho counties
coming; in the boroughs 1t had already come lie
knew as well as anybody the enormous peril OF an
extended franchise without education. IL ho had
not secured tho passago of the Education Act in
1870 by those concessions for winch lie was
criticised. who can say when any such net would
lave become lawi But fifteen years have elapsed
and the generation then coming TO tedchnDl'
age has grown 10 manhood and hnds the ballo'
in It's hand almost before the spelling book lhe
proportion OF uncducated voters among tho two
millions lust cnfranchsed cannot be compntod
erac,lv hut ia known 10 bc formidable Years mu't
still eapse before The Education Act can have its
fnll effect But had there been nonc what would
have been tho prospect IN England The govern
ment Of this ,onntry would have been in the hands
of ioporsnt tp.n. It Is Mr. Forstcr's merit to have
pr,yented this in a measure to have modified the
conditions under which an uncducated democracy
but for him would have acceded 10 power. II will
be lasting claim on the gratitude of England, and
once the naligDity Of faction has passed away II
a claim which all England will recognize. Mr.
Forster himself does not make it. Hc passes over
the albiect In thrco four sentences. But he Will
lose nothing by that
No more will lie forfeit any part OF his claim on
us for what he did In our behalf during the
Rebellion because he shares IL with Others with
Mr.. Bright aud Mr. Golden and with the great
northern constituencies in England aud the English
workipqmen. The same Is true Of Mr.. Forster
with reference to household suffrage; the reform
was not due 10 him exclusively. or perhaps mainly
but his share In il was largo one. Then comes
Ireland. know how useless il is at present to ask
Irishmen to do justice to Mr.. Forsters efforts In
their behalf His voice and all other voices will bt
drowned in cries OF coercion and buokshot- but
when these have died away it will remain true that
10 Mr. Forstors effortswas due In great degree the
securing to the Irish tenant that ixity of tenure
which was one of the things the Irish tenant uos
cared for Perhaps YOU will not refuse to read what
IL fho akn Of flinra Lhn