Morris tribune., 1886-11-10
LOWELL INTERyIEWED:
The Ex-Minister to England Chats on the Queen
and Her Statesmen:

and Her Statesmen
Mr.. James Russell Lowell was inter-
viewed at length by Julian Hawthorne
of the N. Y. World. The Ex-minister
to England was in a talkative humor
and, chatted at length on English poll
tics, art and literature, winding up
the following approval of Mr.. Phelps
treatment of Thorndike Rice:
"Oh, Mr.. Phelps was in the right
undoubtedly in the right" replied
Mr.. Lowell, emphatically. at would
have been breach of official proprl-
ETY. to do otherwise. The attack up
on Mr.. Bayard was not only violent,
but the fellow didn't venture to sign
his name. 1t was more than private
affair of Mr.. Phelps. Mr.. Rice's pres
ent claim to distinction can not be
disconnected from his editorship OF
the North American, and he was
in the wrong to expect q volun-
tlry courtesy under those circum-
stances. The correspondence pub
lished WAS clever on both sides.
but Mr.. Phelps letter was conclusive
and very we'll written. There was only
one word in it that | objected to; he
spoke of extending courtesy. That
phrase is to me like red rag to a
bull. | wrote to him the other day
and entreated him never to extend a
courtesy again." and Mr.. Lowell
laughed heartily.
Naturally Mr.. Hawthorne asked
some questions concerning the Queen
and the Prince of Wales. Mr.. Lowell
considers that Victoria has the regard
of the nation, and thinks that the
Prince will be allowed to reign if he
out-lives his mother, and he dismisses
her Majesty with the word: "she IL
very tough" Of the Prince Mr.. Lo.
well remarks:
"WelI, he's very fat" replied Mr..
Lowell; "he's immensely fat, and his
labors, such as th-y are, are chiefly
physical. He delivers very good
speeches, but ! think there's no doubt
they are written for him. They are
written by man who used to get up
the addresses delivered by the late
Duke of Albany-Prince Leopold. !
remember reading one of these and
thinking, well. this is really gOodi'
But it turned out not to be Leopold's
goodness. There was q good deal oil
voluntary make-believe in the popu-
lar attitude toward Leopold. He was
always spoken of in the newspapers as
a sort Of paragon-a Marcellus. But
when he died, and the queen ordered
mourning for a year, spoke to some
one who knew him well. about the
universal regret that seemed to be felt,
and he laughed and said: HE was the
greatest cad ever knew in my life"
Speaking OF the Queens personal
power the ex-minister says:
"StilI, she no doubt, has personal
influence, as is natural, for she is
woman of sound sense and great polit-
ical experience | think it was she
VINO brought about the reconciliation
between the commons and the Lords
three years ago. l saw Salisbury two
days before the reconciliation took
place, and he said very poslvitely that
nothing of the kind would be admitted.
He said it was better the Lord should
perish than yield, and that he would
consent to no compromise. But, dur
ing the next two days the Queen sent
for him and sent for Gladstone, and
am sure she worked them. She made
them agree"
Being asked his opinion of Gladstone.
Mr.. Lowell cleverly intimates the
great Liberal statesman's personal
power:
He believes in himself; he is sincere.
He is very resolute and rather unman-
ageable. The Queen Is reported to
have said of him that he was the only
one OF her .Nll Ministers who bad treatgd
nor a woman. | don't youch for the
truth of that, but he prefers his own
way. recollect once, at the time OF
the Ascot races, a number OF men,
several of whom were in the Cabinet,
wanted to go, but doubted whether
they could evade the Cabinet meeting
appointed for that day. Finally one
of them gave me a waggish look and
said: II don't see why it wouldn't do
lust as well if the g. o. NJ. had the Cab
met meeting alone to himself" Much
of his power may be due to the sinceri-
ty OF his convictions"
Speaking of Lord Harrington, Mr..
Lowell thought the respect for him
was very widespread and genuine:
He is a GOOD kind of Englishman.
He is a gentleman. He understands
the House. He has great tirmness OF
character. The back of his neck,
straight and thick, gives an impression
l never saw anything
to compare with 1t except President
Harrington stands In the
succession for the Premiership; the
only danger is that he may at any
moment be turned into the House of
Lords by the death of his father. The
Duke is now seventy-elght years old,
but he is still strong man and may
live q long while. Lord Hartington's
detection was a serious loss to Glad
stone, and so was Mr.. Chamberlain's,
who is a man of great intelligence and
force. Chamberlain is also a very
honest man and has broad views.
But Gladstone is not an easy man to
get along with unless you agree with
him."
The conversation turning into Irish
affairs, Mr.. Lowell referred to his &C
ton regarding the American citizens
of Irish birth arrested by the British
authorities:
THE feeling against me was bitter,
know, and was we'll abused in the
newspapers. Even my life was threat
ened," he added, with smile, "but
the oldest part of it was that | was
then, as l am now, sound Home
ruler, though they didn't know it; on
ly, I couldn't see how a man could be
a citizen OF America and of Ireland at
the same time. Secretary Frelinghuy-
sen was weak, and l took the action
l did on my own responsibility, be-
cause I believed if asked him he
wouldn't venture to do 1t.
The Irish will have home rule,
I think, but it may not
fulfill all their anticipations. For one
thing. their own men will govern them
much more strictly than they have
ever been governed by England. 1t
will be an iron rule. Another posi-
bility is that there will be q quarrel
between the Irish in Ireland and the
Irish here. The American-Irish have
po;d +bo ,,iYoar op6 thew will think