New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-08-26
MIR. BAYARD IN LONDON.
TIE DINNER GIVEN IN HIS HONOR BY
MIR MATHER AT THE DEvONSHIRE
CLUB-WHO WERE PRESENT AND
WHAT THE SIGNIFICANCE IS
OF SUCH AN INCIDENT.

The United States Amba ssldor dined on
Wednesday evening at the Devonsnire Ciub as
the guest OF Mr.. Mather. NJ. p, who had asked
some thirty men Of distinction l., public life 10
meet him. A compliment Of This nature is rot
unprecedented but is unusual and the gathering
OF such company Is good evidence that Mr.
Bayard is thought by Londoners an Interesting
parsonage. Mr.. William Mather his host Is
member for the Gorton division OF Southeas'
Lancashire and head Of the Stafford lronworNs
firm OF Mather Pratt. An engineer ana
Home Ruler; so that the most rigid irish Ameri-
can need not feel called upon TO consider MS
cause in peril from those social influences which
are sometimes believed TO impair the purity OF
American devotion to American principles when
the American. be he Ambassador or not, dwells
In London.
You, or some Of you, at home must know Mr.
Mather for he has visited America. and studied
the country from the technical instruction point
OF view. and made a report on that subject 10
ROYAL Commission. In the House he is silent
member as so many others OF its most uselu
<embers are but is none the less an inf1uentiai
person whose opinion is valued. He conceived
the notion OF a representative dinner 10 the
American Ambassador; dinner at which our,
Envoy should meet at the same table men OF all
parties II this again should offend any Irish
American susceptibilities 1 hope to soothe them
by saying that Mr.. Justin Mccarthy and MT
Arthur O'Connor were of the party. No Irish
patriot will question the soundness Of their
views on Home Rule using Irish patriot for the
moment as synonymous with Irish Nationalist
There WERE moreover, English Home Rulers, IN
Guiding Mr. Fowler Of Woverhampton, now Sec
rotary Of State for India Mr. Campbell Banner
ho 10
lister of War; Professor Bryce,-no, he is not
English either but he Is President Of the Board
of Trade; and Sir George Trevelyan, Scotch Sec
rotary. Thus far, my endeavor to name Eng
lish Home Rulers has been. with one exception,
a failure But these four gentlemen are at any
rate. all Home Rulers and all Cabinet Ministers
in a more or less Home Rule Government.
Then there were the two chief Whips Of the
marty Mr. Tom Ellis who Is a Welshman. and
the very genial and popular Mr.. William Nc
Arthur who would be an Englishman II he
were not an Australian by birth; believe the
first member Of the House Of Commons known
TO have been born in New South Wales. or In any
other part of Australia or Of Australasia. The
late Conservative Government was represented
by Sir James Ferguson and by MI waiter
Long. The Liberal Unionists had delegate IN
the person Of Sir Henry James. and there were
many others Of all three sections OF the House.
including Mr.. Leveson-Gower Sir ughtred Ray
Shuttleworth. and our friend Mr.. Mundelia, VINO
lately resigned the Board of Trade. The mated
Peer was absent; altogether absent and It, did
not become necessary 10 raise the House OF
Lords question In any shape.
Primarily. It was House Of Commons dinner.
Mr. Mather explained In the course OF the
anniabe speech of welcome which he delivered
after dinner that he desired TO show the Ameri-
can Ambassador what good friends In private
political opponents could be, no matter what
they said Of each other from opposite sides OK
the House. Mr.. Bayard Is a rather frequent
attendant In the Diplomatic Gallery He was,
believe. present on Tuesday evening when the
Irish scene broke out so suddenly. At any rate.
he has often been there when the proceedings
were Of an animated kind He would appreciate
the more the scene Of last evening at the Devon
shire Club. If he were in any doubt as to It's
true character he would have been enlightened
by Sir George Trevelyan. who in proposing the
health of the host, described il as the most rep
resentative gathering he had ever seen in Eng
land Sir George Trevelyan is a good witness.
He has been a man OF the world and diner
ont from his youth upward. He is. moreover,
partisan and an extreme PARTISAN; Liberal
who cannot conceive Of political salvation out
side of the Liberal fold. He has tried 1t and
ought 10 know But In his speech there was no
trace OF political bitterness. or even OF politics
II such a man could take part in mixed
festivity Of this kind. the last remaining scrupie
OF the Irish American ought to vanish.
I will 90 so far as to say in parenthesis
which may be a long one and might be longer
II other matters did not press, that he would
no we'll advised TO renounce all apprehensions OF
this kind once for all and for all time. l am
not sanguine enough to imagine that he Will do
n upon nv suggestion. that he would listen to
an appeal from me II l were disposed to make
one (which I am not What I say say IN his
interest, not In NINE and in the interest OF all
those good Americans who prefer facts 10 rancies
and fallacies and illusions. all springing from
a plentiful lack Of acquaintance with the conoi-
tions Of life as they really are In London and
IN England generally. have known good
many American Ministers and one American
Ambassador. Among them all there was never
one who whatever his other faults might De-
was capable OF allowing himself to be swayed
nv considerations which at distance are so
often believed to have a deleterious effect on
the diplomatic mind
That social influences are strong IS peyoho
aorh,. and that they have their part In the
work Of diplomacy is equally certain. But tne
clever diplomatist is he who uses them: that IL
mart OF his business not to yield to them or 10
he affected by them. He knows that they are
brought TO bear on him. In certain circumstances
and by certain wel-known methods II he does
not know that, he does not know the rudiments
of his profession He is on his guard against
them from the beginning and he remains on
his guard against them TO the end Ask any OF
them. and that is what they will tell you
Theirs is not an innocence TO be surprised by the
unexpected. like a girls. II they had not been
forewarned otherwise they would have plenty OF
storm signals from the other side OF the Atlantic
and especially from portion Of the American
nress. where they used to be hoisted regardless