New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1886-11-17
LOWELL INTERVIEWED.
The Ex-Hiaister to England Chats On the Queen
and Her Statesmen.


and Her Statesnen.
Mr.. James Russell Lowell was inter
viewed at length by Julian Hawthorne
of the n. Y. World. The Ex-minister
to England was in 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. "It would
have been a breach of official propri-
ETY. to do otherwise. The attack up
on Mr.. Bayard was not only violent,
but the fellow didn't venture to sign
his name. It was more than a 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 volun-
tary 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 I 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 is
very tough.'' OF the Prince Mr.. Lo-
well remarks:
"Well, he's very iat," replied Mr..
Lowell; she's immensely fat, and his
labors, such as they 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. l
remember reading one OF these and
thinking, "Well, this is really good!"
But it turned out not to be Leopod's
goodness. There was good deal of
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, l spoke to some
one who knew him we'll. about the
universal regret that seemed to be feIt,
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:
"Still, she no doubt, has personal
influence, as is natural, for she is q
woman OF sound sense and great polit-
ical experience. l think it was she
who brought about the reconciliation
between the commons and the Lords
three years ago. | 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 tono 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 stateslnan'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 Ministers who had treated
her as ii she was neither a sovereign
nor a woman. | don't vouch for the
truth OF that, but he prefers his own
way. 1recollect once, at the time OF
the Ascot races, 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
just as well if the G. O. M 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 firmness Of
character. The back OF his neck,
straight and thick, gives an impression
ofstubbornness. never saw anything
to compare with 1T except President
Cleveland's. 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-eight 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,