New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-03-25
LORD ROSEBERY.
III.
HIS OFFICIAL CAREER. AND ESPECIALLY
HIS CAREER AT THE FOREIGN OFFICE.


London March II.
r,a now PRIME Minister IS thirteen years
Younger than was Ny. Gladstone when ne nrs'
entered upon the duties Of that great office Ny
Gladstone was nety-ninc. Lord ROseoe'E
"a for,y-six Those who believe IN num-
erical condolences may Ike to take Ao'e
NJ the FAC, that Il IS Just thirteen years
since Lord Rosebery first accepted o'''0
under the Crown. !, was Mr. Gladstone VINO
offered II 20 him. and the Office when Mt '''""-
stone then thought Lord Rosebery best h'''u ~
Ill was that OF Under secretary a; the Home
Office.
Every man in public lie has OF course -
serve his apprenticeship. But the .c!cnhSs"H'0
were peculiar The friendship between inc wv
men was already close. The first ana seco""
Midlothian campaigns had been fought anu WI
Gladstone had been elected 10 PaTlalnent -o'
and By that constituency. Dalmeny' ho'u io'
hnrv,s cco,,isb home had been Mr.. Gladstone
home during those eventful days. lie Iau Sc'"
something Of his hosts position ard popularity
In that part Of the world. The great mee''''N'
in the Edinburgh Corn Exchange and IN l"e
waverlev Market in the same city had reVeale"
% whoever cared to see it the strength OF 'he
MA which this Young Scottish nobemah had
unor tho neople of Scotland. suppose aso
NJ Gladstone must have known something oil
tho services Lord ROsebery had rendered MN j"
Midlothian He did not know the iul extent vi
his obligations Perhaps NOBODY Knew H. W "
ever likely to know T., but every body Khe" '""'
,hav were of the kind which had earned an am
pie recognition
= Mr. Cladstone's measure ~ what was ample
was this Under Secretaryship. and THIS ne oli'Ieu
sixteen months after forming his second aui''"
istration in April, 1880. 1t ADDS niue 10 INC
that he
piauancy Of the present SITUATION lhd' '"e
cacratarv was then Sir William Harcourt The
Under Secretaryship Of the Home oli''e
NAV have been ample TO begin with pu'
- whom Lord Rosebery had held it for some Two
,oars he resigned the post. That was in lNs"'
10 reuained out of office till the end OF 1871
7 dare saw he preferred independence am GER
tain no preferred independence to subordinate
departmental place. But it is not known 'n"'
anv other proposal was made to MN I'LL NoNe"'-
her. 1884 During that interval ii seemed 10 III
Mr.. Gladstone's opinion that his government
would get on as well without LORD RoseoeiE aS
18th him Perhaps the old Prime Minister did
not grasp all at once the meaning OF MS young
colleagues resignation There have oeeh many
occasions during Mr.. Gladstones He "heh MS
,,aroan,i,r Of the values of men seemed SLOW
and not always sure. Indeed. judgment Vi i'e"'
81 individuals. has not always been his strong
point. poso-
II was not now The knowledge Of Lord Rose
,oo, norris and uses in public life came to
him later--a good deal later. lie hau' ho"eNr''
,co,na aware bv the end OF 1884 that his MINIS
.r, needed STRENGTHENING. Mr.. Fawcett died'
Mr. Shaw Lefevre was made Postmaster-Ieherdi
in his stead The political situation hau oecoi'''
for various reasons. II not critical mrhdcI"s'
Lord Rosebery had made sundry appearances o"
,ublic platforms and developed degree oi III
lruence with the public which was not whonS
lost on Mr.. Gladstone. He began AFTER '.'.'
somewhat long process OF education 10 open Ills
mind TO the fact that, though LORD hoseperS
might be still young man, and sti!i "l'ho".
much official or departmental experience, he mad
che ear OF the country and the unlimited conn
rdsnca Of one very important section Of the
..ao,,rtrv His Young friend could bring him, in
short. what he wanted, an increase OF popuiaH-
h ~ and I'm a Ministry already nearly five Years
old and clearly on the down grade an infusion OIL
nav blood was obviously desirable, and youth no
obiection but the contrary. So it was that ne
made ND his mind TO offer Lord Rosebery the
First Commissonershp Of Works, posi- ol
secondary importance, and that OF Aord fIlNY
Seal. a great post, historically. which has OF tate
wears become mainly honorary. He filled these
two Offices with a seat in the Cabinet IN june
1852 when Mr.. Gladstone resigned
- OFFICIAL opportunty of making his mark. The
mark he had made had been individual In the
ysbnrt administration Of 1856 he took his proper
positon as Foreign Minister. He held it only from
February TO August, but he at once signahzed
his fitness for those high duties The statesmen
of the Continent became aware that a new man
had arisen I'm England with whom they would
have 10 deal This novice handled delicate aitalrs
with the precision and frmness OF an old diplo-
matte hand Then came Home Rule, ana the long
exile from power which his absorption in that
subject brought upon Mr., Gladstone and MS
marty Most men considered IT a calamity. LORD
Rosebery was in the flower Of full manhood ana
the poisoning of sudden reputation was
chilled and checked by this long political frost.
Yet when 1892 came. and Mr.. Gladstone was
again borne to power By his Irish aliies-ahd oy
q them alone. since there was a majority against
hin, in Great Britain--Lord Rosebery showed no
eagerness 10 resume the once IN "iic" "e IA"
DISTINGUISHED himself. 3d..
He was summoned to II by his chief. by the
marty. by the country perhaps by the persuasion
of the Queen herself. who had while ne frat held
The Secretaryship OF State for Foreign Anairs'
pronounced him a Heaven-born Foreign Minister.
There was. 10 speak the plain truth, no other
man in the Liberia! party at that time in whose
fitness for that place the nation had any conf'-
dence whatever. But Lord RoseDery thought
THAT good time for a yachting "Trip with his two
boys along the west coast Of Scotland. He sald
o he was not a candidate for office, and could not
accept office The telegram which at the las
moment induced him TO change his mind reached
him, 1 believe at Oban. and he reluctantly came
south. 1t was understood. and 1t was expected
by the country. that ne was TO have free hand.
1T il not necessary to suppose that any doubt on
this point had delayed his decision. His desire To
remain in private life was due to private consid-
erations, largely If not entirely But you have
only to turn TO the newspapers Of that day to see
how anxiousy his presence in the new Ministry
was longed for by everybody but those knots of
new Radicals whose ideal of national greatness
~ ,,,,hir In ct.ifo