New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-02-09
LORD SALISBURY.
THE MARQUIS OF SALISBURY. BY u. C, rail-
d. C. L. Emo, PIP. 224. Harper Br2thcis'

bury in the series entitled The Queens Prime Min
listers has the defects inseparable from blogra-
phies of living persons. When it becomes necessary
TO write accounts of such living persons, ana
when they are political party leaders, moreover
II is hardly possblc 10 make the biography other
than a kind OF party pamphlet. The account
here given is very we'll written. and the author
has clearly cndcavorcd 10 restrain his hand IN
dealing with the Liberals. who. of necessity
appear as the enemies at least the antagonists
of the Marquis of Salisbury. II was, however
neither possible to be expected tha' MI
Gladstone should escape sundry shrewd hits now
and then. particularly in treating OF his admins
tration of foreign affairs. where. it must be adj
mtted by lis stanchcst supporters, his genius
has been least happily displayed. But even so
ingenious a writer as Dr. Trail cannot present the
MARQUIS of Salisbury in the light of heroic
figure or as a statesman of the first rank. IL
cannot even be claimed that he has been always
consistent in his maintenance Of those ConScrVa-
tive principles which il has been his hic-Worh
IN UNFOLD Not that such occasional inconsiSt-
.ncy can in these days be made rcproach 10
nnv English politician. For since Pccls famous
somersault English parties have again and again
stolen each others clothes when their opponents
were in bathing. and more than once or TWICE
il has become difficult to distinguish between
Liberal and Conservative doctTlnc.
The Marquis of Salisbury. beginning his political
career in the House of Commons as Lord Robert
Cecil naturally developed good deal OF That
Toryjsm which is always most pronounced III young
men of his class As member for stamford ne
made little mark at first. but he was studying
the field and learning the ways of the House
II was not long before he began to exhibit
faculty for debate and keen and caustic wit
which was sure to tell in that assembly. Great
changes were about to take place when he cntered
Parliament in sj3. For several Years England
had been dreaming of perpetual peace. The Mar
chester school was in tie ascendant. The great
exhibition of 1881 had been hailed as the end of
International disputes and now the Government
was drifting with closed eyes, into the war with
Russia Lord Robert Cecil signalizcd himself in
an able speech the Vienna negotiations and
says Dr. Trail had adversely criticised on grounds
which the events of fifteen years later did much
to iustify the proposal to close the Black Sea III
pcrpetuity To the Russian flag Of war lltte later
he was selected TO second the motion oil the pre-
vious question in the DEBATE upon Rochucks vote
OF cepsurc on the defunct Minister which had been
responsible for the disasters of the Crimcan War
He acquitted himself well on This occasion.
Then followed thr Chinese war. the attempt of
The Opposition to force Pamersons rcsgnatloh
his appeal TO the country his return with an over
Whelmng majority, tllc consequent coIldfN VI ''''
Peace Party, and the unseating of Golden and
Bright. Stamford continued to return Lord Rob-
ert Cecil who now made his first essay at original
legislation by bringing bill substituting
votingpaper system for that of personal attend
ance at polling station for the purpose of record
ing the vote lie said he wished that the poll
should be brought to the cector, instead OF the
eector to the poll The bill did not commend
itself to more practical politicians than its author,
ind il failed In 1853 Palmcrston was beaten on
his attempt to amend the law of conspiracy upon
the demand of Louis Napoleon and Lord Derby
was called in TO form new Government The
member for Stamford in the ensuing session
showed his Torysm by strenuously resisting the
bill for the total abolition of Church rates. In
supporting the claims of Modavia and Wallachia
to effect the union forbidden them by the Treaty
of 1856 however, he showed himself more LIB
era in his foreign policy than the Liberals them
selves" Dr. Trail points that here we
have an anticipation by exactly twenty years Of
the arguments of tie famous dispatch in which
Lord BeacOnsiield's colleague at the Berlin Con
gress defended the emancipation of Bulgaria and
Eastern Rumelia from Ottoman rule. Whether
the policy then advocated was a sound one, ii is
perhaps still too early 10 determine, for as Dr.
Trail observes: " If Turkey has gained strength
from the erection Of the two Danubian Princp1li-
I've said tnIt she is the for the existence
of the Principally over which Ferdinand Of
Coburg maintains prccarious and distracted
rule
In the following year Lord Robert Cecil pub
lishcd an oxford Essay" on The Theories of Par
liamentary Reform in which he took ground
against any further med1lins with the suffrage.
DR.. Trail says this essay pretty clearly ranks him
among that plain-spoien section of the Tory party
who, while admitting that our electoral system WIS
theoretically open 10 Improvement, made no con-
cealmcnt Of their opinion that it were better left
alone" From that time he always found in
opposition 10 Reform bills until IN 1s6, Disraci
undertook to dish the Wings" lay extending the
suffrage far beyond the point they had contcm-
plated. Lord Robert Cecil. now Lord Cranhorn',
was Secretary for India in Lord DcIby's Govern
ment and when the Ministry suddenly changed its
programme abandoned all the checks and balances
that had been proposed, and brought in the sweep
ing bill which became law, CranbOrnc and two Of
his colleagues resigned. Dr.. Trail discusses the
history Of this Second Reform Bill! NJ much length,
and endeavors to defend and Justify the action OF
Derby and Disracli in regard 70 It. ~ comparing
the case with that of Pccls Free Trade sOmcrsault
in 1916. The biographcr condemns Peel and
quits the others, but by an argument the casuis-
try Of which is more conspicuous than It's justice.
The last twenty years of the Marquis Of Sails
burys career are too familiar to all to need
eapituaton. In the House of Lords lie has al
ways maintained the independence Of that body
and resisted encroachments upon it. lie has
been consistent, and has frankly accepted leeis
lations of which nc did not approve when once
opposition ma manifcstly become useless While
never a great orator or even brilliant dcbatcr.
he has shown happy faculty Of clear logical and
convincing statement. lie is never verbose or
rhetorical. but his speeches are marked by strong
common-scnsc. As an administrator he has had
much success. and has earned a reputation for
laborious diligence in Office. DR.. Trail denies
the common reports that he and Bac0nscld