New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-07-18
The DOWN GRADt.l
THE LIBERALS IN THE HOUsE o. ~
MONS WHO LEADS THEN :
AND WHITTIER? "a

! the Radicals with reference to PeeraRes? o.
1t been settled by some higher authority In ~
House OF Lorcs is no longer to be recruited r.
the ranks OF those advanced liberal poIitl,I..
| who. as Mr. Labouchere Is always renindipr !,
are fond Of rank and title? 1t was thousSs !.
markable that IN the list Of Birthday Hon.
there were no new Peers Lord Rosebery m.s
! 1t was said, have rejected more than one pren6.
application Names were mentioned; which ~
! indiscreet. Nobody likes a disappointed ann
ton to be made public.
And now comes Sir william Harcourt with !.
assurance. or what is interpreted as such, TIM
he means never to go to the House NJ Lon.
True he uttered this never IN that haIf.,eaM,
way he often uses a means OF roncealiuss
serious purpose, but ne has. to say the least ~
words which may be quoted against him shou,
he ever change his mind. He was speaking !,
the Civil Service dinner last week. and lamentiD,
that he should be severed forever in public m.
from Lord Welby: lately Sir Reginald welb
and. as permanent chief at the Treasu,,.
head OF the Civil Service. Il cannot n
to him and he can never return TO me-" seN
| Sir William. The never sounds as II he had "A
great faith In the efficacy Of certain recent prc
ceedngs at provincial town called Leeds
the Leeds Conference should come TO anytime
one effect OF their proposed legislation would b.
necessarily ttat Peers should be allowed 10 m
I'm the House OF Commons. IL would clearly 4.
Impossible to abolish the legislative authority NJ
the Timer Chamber and then refuse 10 membe,,
Of that chamber the right TO be elected 10 IL
other This has always been OF the arr.
ments which made Radicals hesitate 80 long a.
arguments availed with them. In their attach
upon the House Of Lords IL was felt that thu
Lords with their weight In the country thelr
position. their landed influence, their ability and
experience might be a more formidable force
than ever II transferred 10 the House OF Com
mons But now that confscation has set In. no.
body knows where II will stop, nor whether any.
thing will be left to the wicked Lords who own
land except their personal qualities. And so the
danger OF their sscendancy in the other chamber
is supposed to be diminished
There has been of late much speculation on the
probab billy OF Sir william Harcour.'s retirement
from the leadership OF the House Of CommonA
I have taken part In 1t because | though II
10 say the least. premature. j do not take parth
It now But It may be inferred thar the chanceA
whatever they may be. are lessensd II the ~
mark quoted above is to be interpreted mead
ing that in no circumstances VIII ne accept .
PeeraRe II the work OF the House Of Commons
Is more than his health can bear. the other
House would offer him an agreeable medium
between the overstrain Of leadership and com.
ple,e enlightenment He is too strenuous per.
sonality TO be easily content with the latter.
Nor can Mr.. Laboucheres taunt apply 70 MIN.
II family and social position count Tor anytnns'
and perhaps they still do. Sir William mas oota'
and Peerage would add nothing to the dignity
OF his position. He once limited ooscureiy-his
enemies said not obscurely-that the blood OF the
Plantagenets ran In his veins. He is. al any ra'e'
OF an ancient and honorable lineage. Therea are
many untitled families IN this country OF sucn
antiquity and splendor that. they would tnlnA
themselves belitted and not aggrandized py
Peerage The Harcourts may be one or 'heA
II was said when Mr. Vernon Harcourt not INC
head OF the family either was appointed Sonc'os
General he held out against the knighhooo
which is, or IS deemed TO be- the inseparapesc.
compa nin,ent OF that post He yielded out u
considerations Of general interest: sacrificing hs
personal preferences. 1t may be that he deems
that sacrifice sufficient Al the worst 1t left him
q comuoner And he may well think that Ny.
D,sraelrs example which in 50 many respe"
,as haen ~ him a beacon, Is TO be avoided ratnS
than followed in the matter OF accepting
Peerage.
The course Of events during the present seq
sion has made the intentions. or supposed IN
,an,ions OF the Chancellor Of the Exchequa
an important factor in calculations or the in'
mediate political future The party winch !.
leads in the Commons is in parlous STATE
really do not quite know what name 10 use IL
speaking OF this party, Now tnat MI Haus'o"
Is gone II seems unreal TO call 1t the Giads'onaa
party. II may be equally misleading 10 eau 's
Liberal party. The organization to "hich 'ns'
name belongs historically went 70 pieces III i''"
and remains in pieces. Nobody calls IL the Hose
berry party or the Harcourt party. lnas"'%-
however as Its leaders and members cViu""
70 label themselves Liberals. II Is civil 10 CIV
them the title by which they prefer 10 pe h'0"..
go Liberal let II be. A writer IN an oio-ldsno
Tory magazine has constructed an ahu'ne"
title for an article, which appears as pes"
,,,as and Conservatives" But do not think &'
the Liberals ca fairly be called Destructiyes' n~
Is that name likely to pass into genera use
Those who stand In one way or another prew
near to Sir William Harcourt have. during Wv
last few weeks fallen into the habit OF assunn''
that he means TO retire; and therefore VI W.
cussing the momentous question who sna'' SUI
coed him as leader. II may be necessary 10 'O"'
slider this question privately: IT Is haru'' -
rous TO debate II in public. But decoruih
dom the strong point OF the New fau''aH
still more important and perhaps not less p
ing question is: What sort OF a party VIII 'n''.
no 70 lead? II Sir william goes. another ~.
with the past snapped. Even II he stays,
holding power of the link may not DC ~
great. He has shown a readiness to accept o."
even 70 anticipate. some of the new doo'' "a.
such as bodies Ill for the future uhue'
guidance. His Budget is the longest step n..
land has yet taken on the road to that sociS.
pad,cal,sm which so many lesser politicians "'
learned to regard as a new political sospeh
A leader must have made up his mind 10
many things before he embarks on poAe, ,,A
cont,scat,on; even OF partial confiscation' VIZ"
ia the essence OF his Budget. 1t Is idie
that all taxation is to some extent a pea'''s =.
conascation. Nobody uses words 80 ioo'e" 'u,,.
that except from looseness Of mind or ior
~, .r1s Everybody IL agreed that taxation