New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-06-17
THE DERBY.
BEFORE THE RACE-LORD ROSEBERY'S
POSITION AS OWNER OF THE FA-
VORITE-HOW WILL 1T AFFECT
HIM AND HIS PARTY?
/.

London. June 6.
As the Derby has not vet been run ana as
shall not see II, may as well begin ny saying
that this letter will not contain descriptive nc
count of the race. But the interest OF the Deroy'
and especially of this years DERBY, eN'ehus idi
bevond EPSON. II has raised in an unusuAn!
acute form some of the questions which nave 10
do not with the Derby only. but with racing anu
tho turf as a national institution ana lhciu@h'ai'S
with the curious relation at present SuPposeu ~
subsst between racing and politics. Inc IIi''ie
Minister'S ownership Of the favon'e mas oee"
800 d,ecussed-privately If not publicly but
very largely also in puoiic-thah any a'' u ms
hries administration or any part of his roHcy
Not only that, but there is widespread oe''e'
tha, the fortunes Of his government ana MS own
oaroar may he sensibly affected by the victory
or defeat of Iadas this afternoon The Senerai
,o.eres, IN the whole matter reaches It's climax
,o-dav an # may be worth while to see In what
q consists. and what kind Of interests appear 10
the mind Of the British public
A. tho same time on such subject as tIils' inc
British public cannot be treated as an nun
HE whole. II is divided and very Sharply ui''"VO
not as 10 the merits Of single morse D"' "' ~
the merits and dement's of racing Loru No'e-
bery himself made an interesting stat aiIN
an interesting confession 81 Monday d' E'"''' iie
fold his audience at luncheon that rePieSeN'"
t,ons about his racing had reached MN iIo'"
various sources one Of them only the gay oeioie
from the secretary Of the Anti-Gamohhs 9o0i''''
To all he offered the same reply, or the same
avowa: ,,,,,o onnor-
.T am bound to say,-I take THIS puo''c 0pPO'
tunity of saying-that feel no Ves'se ~ ''''''
in possessing a good horse.
~, far that Is a defense. how far II IS an
f,rh
apology each reader Will judge lot H''''' -
are those who think it an evasion OF the mann q"
cusation. It is so. perhaps, In 1orn' ~ O'e"'i
WAS not meant TO be so In substance Tan.
Lord Rosebery meant his critics anu '"e pun"
- understand that not only is he not ashamed
of possessing good horse put not a."
winning him in the DERBY. and not ashamed
~. o,oo,,rag cement which his own honorable
connection with the Turf gives to those VINO use
:. atsbonorablv: not ashamed finally. 10 DE
,so,,,eed With a form Of sport which VIGOROUSLY
80 a. large part. as a means Of gambling
IT, ocoants as he is bound to accept. the cohse-
-,,onoas Of his position. Whatever they may De-
he "a not the man to shrk them
rha Eton incident was an interesting one oo'n
Cor ire connection with the racing question anu
otberU,,se Lord Rosebery was an Zion %!
N saw that he was educated at Elton "ouN oe
n use a stronger expression than the iac's war
rant Education was not in those days VIA
ever II may be now the main OBJECT III se''uiie
q boy to Eton-not the main object OF the parents
who sent him or Of the masters who took cha'se
of hin, Yet Il was then and still Is. the most
famous public school in the world. E'oh'd"S
have a most remarkable affection for Etoh' an
affection quite regardless of what has 'eeh done
or not done for them while there Lord h"se-
berry showed his by going down TO the great r'''"
festival Of the year the Fourth or June Wheh
brilliant company always assemblies ana 'he'e
are speeches by the boys, and a luncneo2' ana
then sneeches by those who are no longer hoys.
7 imagine that the speech of the present fro-
vost Of Elton on this present occasion was far
and away the most remarkable one ever Delivered
at an Eton luncheon by the Head Of the College.
lord Roseberv himself commented on II. but the
best comment is the speech itself Dr. Horribly
congratulated himself and the College and the
Prime Minister on several things and me OF
them was on the probability that Ladas would
win the Derby He desired to wish Lord Rose
berry success in his recrc alton as well as in his
severer labors They had all been asking them
selves where he got his name for his horse DIR.
Hornby had looked up his classics and found
Iadas in Juvenal Others before him had dis
covered that he famous runner-a kind OF
courier to Alexander,-nOt a horse. but a man.
and a winner in the Olympian games He oc-
ours In other authors The name was common
place of antiquity; a synonym for speed.
''Never" replied Lord Rosebery. with perhaps
more point than he intended. never did expect
TO hear the Provost of Eton cor graduate one Of
his past pupils his prospects Of winning the
Derby" And he added that II was benediction
which should reach far and bring luck. 1t has
reached so far as 10 brlng-whether luck TO the
owner of Iadas or not-somethng very like
curses on him who pronounced the benelction.
DR.. Horribly. in other words, Is roundly attacked
In some of the more solemn Of the political or
gans of the Nonconformist party For that he
probably cares little He is entirely independent
Of the Nonconformist party. and in no way
called upon to consider the susceptibility Of the
Nonconformist conscience. But the Prime Minis
ter may care and must care. He is not indie
pendent OF the Nonconformists. They are the
backbone Of the Liberal party, and there sub
jects on which they do not understand Joking:
If. indeed there be any subjects on which they do
understand It, They cry out In their usual
shrill voice. Sir Wilfrid Lawson, whose convc-
tons on any subject run inevitably to fanat-
icism. is one Of the loudest. 1T is left writes
Sir Wilfrid, more in anger than I'm sorrow. 80
Provosts OF Eton. great noblemen. the arstOcracy
and the plutocracy to maintain what Mr.. Dis
raeI, IN one OF his novels. called vast institu-
ton OF national decentralization" The amenta-
lions OF the press are even more lachrymose
than ths--l mean. OF course, OF the Noncon-
formist press. but they will not be likely 10 ex-
tract expressions Of penitence from DR. Iiornby.
What they may extract from the Prime MIN
lister know not. but probably nothing. Lord
Rosebery must long since have considered the
whole subject, and counted tho cost and made
up bis mind. Nor do / believe he would have
given up racing merely because he knew that
section, albeit powerful section. OF his fol-
lowers disked H. lie knows the arguments
He judges for himself. one of his friends re-
minds the Nonconformst critics that when Lord
Rnsnhnrv- uraa AT Oxfnrd the I1nnr Of f,hrir