New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-09-21
CHARACTERISTICS.

ROSEBERY'S REAL
CHARACTERISTICS
London September
To the list OF disadvantages with which rn,s
Rosebery set out on his career as Prime Minis,..
may be added another He had reputato.
hard to live up to. He was known to be NJ,
GIadstone's choice He known to be N.
Queens choice He was known to be the cho,c.
OF a great majority Of his colleagues in m.
Cabinet, and Of the Liberal party in the Hou..
n Commons. And he was borne into Office noA
merely by these cOncurring influences but bv m.
breath OF popular applause, and the general
agreement of the people Of England that he was
among all possible Liberals. the man for th.
great post. Two Of these suffragcs may be called
permanent. There IL reason to doubt tina,
the Queen and Mr. Gladstone are OF the sans
mind now az when the present Government wa
formed So. probably, are the majorlty OF N.
Cabinet and of the Liberal party I'm the House d
Commons If there be any doubt about the latter
1t arises from the circumstances | explained In A
recent letter.-cabals competition between cliquea
conflicting claims for priority for particular bila
and the like But these not sufficient reasons
for doubling the substantial loyalty Of the mn.
jority TO their leader. II they were. many OF
them would operate strongly against Sir VIII.
lam Harcourt as against Lord Rosebery
But Lord Rosebery's popular prestige was, no
doubt and it, an embarrassment. because pres.
tige OF that kind is always subject to reaction
and peculiarly so in the case Of young and. In
one sense, unknown man. Youth might. in the
beginning. add to this prestige Later would
come and did come the demand that it should
be sustained. not merely by ability and com.
pctence but by A series Of brilliant political sue.
cesses Now brilliant political successes depend
in part on fortune. and in very great part On
conditions over which no individual has control
ii / use the word unknown with reference to
Lord Rosebery II is in the sense that he has
been fully understood, and that some Of his great
reputation rested. 50 To speak. on hearsay evi-
dence. That part Of 1t which was most solid and
demons;rable did res; mainly on hearsay-t
mean his conduct of the Foreign Affairs Of this
country.
That il was which first attracted the regard Of
the Queen; probably the best Judge in the King.
dom on this point and on some others Mr. Glad
stone would know less and care Jess about the
work of the Foreign Minister The majority Of
the Cabinet less again. The majority in the
House OF Commons next 10 nothing II Is 20
rochial majority. The general public can only
Judge by what called hearsay evidence and by
accomplished results They may or may not
have heard Of the Queens high opinion Of Lord
Rosebery as Foreign Minister They still
less likely to have known Of the impression he
made IN the permanent chiefs OF the Foreign
Office Itself who next to the Queen. the best
Judges in England while the great reputation he
lad won abroad would either never reach or not
greatly affect Englishmen Al home-aversge Eng.
llshmen They came to know somehow or other
that they were we'll served. but they would have
been puzzled 10 say how they knew II. or 70
give a sufficient reason for the faith that was .
them They were nevertheless. perfectly right
Among other foundations q. Lord Roseberys
great renown were his speeches and his work IN
the London County Council His oraory had
ma le an impression especially In scotland where
he is always at his best. He has made many
good speeches; some that were excellent; one OF
two Of surprising excellence But he has never
yet done himself FUN justice. lie has in him the
true oratorical gift He relies on IL to much
and relies too much on his quickness q mind
and power of improvisation. OF course he has al.
WAYS had many things To do besides making
speeches. and sometimes things OF more real prae-
is an age Of talk. an age Of debate. an age Of
speechmaklng In and OUT - Parliament and
there Is perhaps nothing which more surely OF
speedily fixes a mans place In public llfe-l mean
his popular reputauon-,han his power 20 debate
or power on the platform. Il IL worth Minis
ters while to sacrifice. II need be. something else
in order t. secure this kind 81 celebrity Lord
Rosebery has IT, but not in the hghes, degree
,ba ht..h ~. Ia
utled II he resolutely devoted his best faculties
and enough OF his undivided energies 70 the
preparation OF his most important public orationa
As for the craftsmanship Of the London County
Council. It is already a thing Of the past,
was more effective In London than elsewhere
and even in London IT was municipal reputa'
ton; ~ the highest order. but still municpaL
As chairman Lord Rosebery showed tao, IN con-
trolling and coaxing a very unruly ana ha'i'
broken team; great mastery Of business and
power OF work; and he governed London. bu'
London IL not the Empire. and 80 when 'ns
people who had acclaimed him on his entrance
upon the business OF. governing a great Empi'~
asked themselves little later what his titles 70
their confidence were they could not rely wholly
on London.
Resides all this. Lord Rosebery has always
been surrounded by a certain mystery. lie !"
in serious matters one OF the most reserved men
who ever lived. He Is thinker. and win III
his power OF quick decision. ne broods long over
the graver problems OF politics which present.
themselves to him. He takes few men mo "i'
confidence: perhaps none completely. ne mas
long been the intimate associate Of Mr. Giaus'o"s'
whose mind is an unexplored labyrinth 10 ""''''
no man ever yet found the clew. Mr. Glads'o"e'
influence on his younger friend has 'hereio'e
been. al times OF doubtful advantage IL ""s
confirmed him In some mental habits WHICH "e''
already quite strong enough. The hola VIM
the late Liberal leader acquired on the Minus
and still more on the imaginations. OF MS ."'
lowers and ~ the country, was acquired not "
cause o. but In spite OF his taste Tor mys'In0s'
ton and hedging don't mean that Loru NUS"
--.. his Mauinr In those partlcV