New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-09-11
THE PRIME MINISTER


TIES OF LORD RosEBERrs POSITION.
OF SIR WILLIAM HARcouRrs
RIVALRY. AND OF OTHER REA. u.s.
SONS WHICH EXPLAIN THE
DIFFICULTIES OF HIS
ADMINISTRATION.
London. August n
When sieyes was askei what he had done dun
ing the Reign OF Terror, he made answer: "r.
oecu" II the Prime Minister were asked a ain,-
lar question about his Ministry during the AZ.
sion Of Parliament Just ended, he might mai.
q similar answer. 1t would not be a conne,.
answer for he and his Ministry have done ANN.
very considerable things. But they enterA6
upon their career amid the most sinister an6
general predictions Of disaster. Their opponen,.
and conspicuously Mr. Chamberlain whoS
knowledge OF practical politics is equal to CIV.
body's-,made no secret OF their belief that The,
should be able within a very short time to forn
the Government 10 dissolve to resign and
they dissolved. TO beat them at the polls
It Is the fact that all these anticpatons nm
merous as they We're have come to naueb,
which makes the continued existence OF Lord
Rosebery's Ministry the most remarkable cir.
cumstance In its history. can imagine thera
may have been a moment when Lord Roseberv
might well have dreaded lest some historian IN
the future should apply to him and his tenure
OF office the singing epigram Of Disrael upon
the transient and embarrassed phantom Of Lord
Goderich" Lord Goderich was crushed az II
were. between Canning, whom he succeeded IN
] uv1tffx
became Prime Minister in January. 1928. Lord
Rosebery succeeds TO a greater than Canning
but there is no Duke Of Wellington to follow
him. nor does he in the least resemble Lord
Goierich The peril Of the epigram. at any rate
which turned in part upon the shortness Of Lord
GOderichs Ministry, IS over Parliament is out
OF the way TIL next January. and there Is no
perceptible reason why the Rosebery Government
should not remain in Office till II has reached
and passed the anniversary Of its accession.
You have heard a good deal about the decay
Of Lord Rosebery's prestige There plenty Of
critics TO tell you that he has lost the confidence
OF the country. which shown in such q
striking way when he succeeded Mr.. Gladstone
that he has disappointed expectation, that his
party Is dissatisfied with him, and that Sir Will.
lam Harcourt has become the most commanding
figure In the Ministry OF which Lord Rosebery
is the nominal head. These and many other
solemrties are repeated by his opponents till
the frequency OF the repetition has its usual ef.
feet. People believe the assertions because they
have heard them so often. They hardly stop 10
ask themselves whether they are made by inter.
ested witnesses-still less do they take the trou-
BILE to examine the facts for themselves. II there
be shred scrap Of truth as foundation FOR
this towering superstructure OF inference and
allegation, they hardly think OF disputing the
inference or denying the allegation Scraps and
shreis OF truth there certainly are, and II 10
worth while TO separate them and look at them
by themselves and see how much they are
worth and what they amount to when slfted.
No man ever became Prime Minister OF Eng.
land in circumstances quite similar to those
which prevailed when the mantle OF Mr.. Glad.
stone fell upon Lord Rosebery. I remarked al
the time that he inherited Parliament Cabl.
net and policy. 1t has now to be added that
he inherited Sir William Harcourt; fact ex-
tremey necessary to be kept in mind 1t was
obvious that he came into Office fettered. He had
neither a free hand nor the full authority essen.
tial, II not 10 the discharge OF his duties. 10 90
Justice TO himself. HIS majority In Parliament.
which he did not frame. His Cabinet had been
formed by his predecessor and the policy which
| he was under moral obligation TO carry out
was largely personal; that is 20 say. II had been
! imposed upon what was left to the Liberal party
! BY the most masterful and autocratic political
eade: known to modern English history
| know nothing of any private compactS
| nor whether any such existed, but II "
! obvious that the resignation Of Mr.. Glad
| stone his nomination - FOR that Is wnat
! It came to--of Lord Rosebery as his successor
and Lord Rosebery's acceptance both OF the
| Office and OF the colleagues bequeathed 10 him.
| left him anything but a free agent in the sense
! In which most Prime Ministers are free agents
| in public affairs
Note further that there have been from the De-
! ginning at least four separate sets OF critics al
OF whom had direct interest in disparagns
| Lord Rosebery and his administration. firs'
the Opposition; that is what every Prime MINIS
ter had TO meet Second the partisans OF h~
defeated competitor. IL competitor he can %
called. Sir William Harcourt. That Is in Eng
fish politics unusual. 1t has been usual IN 'h's
country for man either 70 accept defeat ihs'as
his own party loyalty, or go outside and carry ="
a campaign with flags flying. Third the fao''
Gals. some OF them In the Cabinet. VINO des'ie
before all things TO end the House OF LORDS anu
who have never ceased their efforts to compe'
| Lord Rosebery TO do their will, or their auacn'
! on him when they found he would not fou''H
and lastly the Irish Nationalist. 1t is not 'h'
least significant fact In the situation that the seS
sion should have begun and ended with an irsn
revolt and We may as we'll look fairly al '"'
first OF these two outbreaks for the key OF the
Parliamentary position IL and always has been
and Is likely long to be, on the Irish Nationa''''
| benches.
When Lord Rosebery uttered In the HOUSE "
Lords on his first appearance as Prime M"'''
ter his memorable sentence about the prea''''
nant partner he undoubtedly put the Parliament
,r,, ne. ~ his newhorn Ministry at issue "