New-York tribune., 1886-02-21
SUPPLEMENT.
PAGES O TO d.
THE NEW CABINET.
II.
yTs LEADING MINISTER'S AND HOW THEY
CANE THERE.

public opinion, and neither Of these two appoint
ments was settled without struggle. The two
arc Sir Farrer Herschel, who IS Lord Chancellor,
and the Earl OF Rosebcry. wiK is Foreign Secretary
Lord So!borne, wao held the Great Seal IN MT.
Gadstone's last Ministry, was not expected to re-
sumo Office, and would. in any case. .have declned
10 Join a Home Rule Ministry. SIR VIII
lam HarcOlrt has long coveted the
mast Of Lord Chancellor 1t the
fashion to underrate his qualifications for it. The
LAWYERS professod to regard the probability of his
nomination with dismay. He had never practised
at the common law or chancory bar, and, there
fore could not deserve TO be put at the head or the
legal profession But the truth is that Sn Will
lam Harcourt is one of the few lawyers in England
who can be called jurist His want of familiarity
with practice compensated by his grasp OF princI-
nles Mfr. Gladstone. however decided that Sir
William could not be spared from the House Of
Commons. aud the Lord Chancelorship goes to
Sir Farrer Hersch3l, lately Solicitor-General
lie Is under fifty, and has been less than
fifteen years Queens Counsel, but he ranks with
the very foremost at the bar where his appoint
ment is most popular lie is one of the few lawyers
who really succeeded IN the House of Commons
and who could make spsech which did not sound
as if addressed 10 a jury. Nobody questions his
supreme fitness to the WoOlsack. The place Is ono
on which Sir Henry James, late Attorney General
had clam, but Sir Henry James's opposition to
Home Rule Obliged him to hold aoof from the Gov
eTnment. Nor did he want the Lord Chancellor
ship OF any judicial post. He wanted to he Home
Secretary and he sacrifices an honorable and long
cherished ambition to conscientious scrupies
against a PARTITION of the Empire.
Lord Rosebery's appointment as Foreign Secre-
tary la. significance of Its own. HIS sapproval
Of the foreign policy of the last Gladstone Ministry
was so strong to keep him long out of office.
After reslgning the Under Secretaryship of the
Home Ofice his position was one OF benevolen;
neutrality till he accepted the post of Lord Privy
Seal, with seat In the Cabinet, early IN 1885.
That he did from impulse of friendly loyalty to
MI Gladstone and of patriotism at the moment
when the fortunes of the Liberal Government were
at their lowest ebb. after the death of
Gordon aid the loss of Khartoum The
disasters which befel Mr.. Gladstone's Ministry in
Egypt and elsewhere abroad have been imputed to
Lord Granville. then Foreign Secretary.
Lord Granville. at any rate, pays
the penalty and has to give mp the Foreign Office.
Ii may be doubted whether the policy pursued in
Egypt, in Afyhanlstan. in South Africa and other
scenes of error, was not really Mr. GladstOnes lie
had the credit, If il be credit, of taking all the
most mOnentOus decisions BE that as 1t may, the
Foreign Office falls TO Minister who, 1t is safe
to predict will neither pursue nor dcquiesce III
policy similar to that which overw helmed the Lib
eral party with discredit abroad during
nearly the whole period of Mr.. Glad
stones administration. Lord Salisbury
has since restored the credit not indeed
of the Liberal party, but of England. and the feel
ing is general thar Lord Rosebery may be trusted to
maintain the high position which Lord Salisbury
has gained for the country. Journals OF all parties
hail his appointment n guarantee shat the for
eign policy of Great Britain will be firm and con-
sstent The leading organ Of Conservatism calls
II the best selection of all. The post is great
one for so young a man with but little depart
nnsntal experience. He enters the Foreign Office
for the first time. and enters its chief, aud as
Foreign Minister will have but little direct respon-
sibluy tor the present Iish policy until some
time after 1t shall have been carried into effect.
IL is Mr.. John Morley whom the burden of
Ireland fails heaviest, or on him next after Mr..
Gladstone. 1t is his appointment as Chief Secretary
for Ireland which stamps this incoming Ministry
for what it is. Mr.. John Morley Is a Home Ruer
If there be one among Engllshmen lie has
for the most part avoided the word but
his advocacy Of the thing has been decisive
That Home Rule involves" enormous risks" " he
admits, but he seems TO think the risks of any al
tentative policy more enormous STILL There can be
no doubt that he accepts tins difficult and danger
GUS o!hcc III order TO make an chOrt under Mr.
GIadstone's lead to give Ireland a Constitution,
as the phrase is now beginning TO ran. He has
deeply studied aud deeply meditated the Irish prob
lem II saccess be attainable man Is more likely
than Mr. John Morley to attain it, OF coercion, at
sny rate he will have mono. His nomination dis
poses of that question once for all. He was opposed
70 il in thewOrst DAYS, when agraran murders were
reckoned by the score and other agrarian Outfagss
bv the thousand There will be no effort to restore
the reign Of law in LelaDd. or to disturb the pres
ent dominion of the National League till an
Irish Parliament can take the work in hand; and
that will be the National League under another
namo.
Mr. John Morley has thus become all at the
most conspicuous figure among all Mr.. Gladstoncs
colleagues. The Ministry is already named the
Gladstone-Morley Ministry. No man in recent days
has risen so fast His first appearance in ParIa-
ment was but two years ago. In literature he bad
won a grea, place. but the House of Commons will
accept no standard of capacity but It's and Mr.
Morley, like the rest had to abide its judgment.
His first speech was not success and though he
has now got tbe Of the House, it Is rather be-
cause of his influence with the country and his
cess as a platform speaker Bat he has come to the
front by sheer force of intellect and force of con-
vction. can recoect nobody else whom Mr..
Gladstone-an old-fashoned man in such matters
has elevated to Cabinet rank without any pre-
vious official experience whatever If it were neces
sary for Mr. Gladstone to emphasize his Irish policy
any further ne has done 1T by making Mr.. Charles
Russell Attorney General, without a seat In the
Cabinet OF course. Mr. Charles Russell Is one of
the first three four advocates at the common law
bar; learned, successful, honorable He is Irish
Catholic aud Home Ruler.
The other Cabinet appointments may be dealt
with more briefly. No one processes TO understand
how il is that Earl Spencer and Mr.. Treveyan have
seen their way to join Home Rule Ministry. They
were committed to an opposite policy. Lord
spencer plumply refused to accept Home Rule when
1t was announced from Hawarden. Mr.. Trevelyan
made speech shortly after in which he avOwed
his opinion that between Union and Separation