New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-01-25
LORD RANDOLPH CHURCHILL
L.

OF COMMONS-HIS BREAK WITH
LORD sALIsBURY-SOME OF THE
REAL CAUSES OF HIS
sO-CALLED RESIGNATION
AND OF HIS FINAL
RETIREMENT.
Lord Randolph's sun goes down In a sky an
clouds and gloom; the brilIiancy Of his MONDAY
obscured perhaps half forgotten. 1t is likely IA
such circumstances that less than justice will b
done him, far less. He may be classed among
the men who have failed, and to those contem-
poraneous opinion is apt to be pitfess. The
more reason why an attempt should be made BY
those who knew him and knew his rare qualities
to speak OF him as he really was;-to do him that
Justice which the majority may deny him. He
is almost equally interesting on the political and
personal sides. His public career has been
undue and there nobody like him In pn-
yate life / can but touch on the salient features
There Is more 70 be said about Lord Randolph
than can be said In the crowded columns ofa
newspaper. will waste no space on well-knowu
facts or on matters likely to come out otherwise.
And first a word or two some incidents OF his
public life.
Those who call his public life failure Judge by
resu,,s merely: seldom a scientific method. II
we study man, the real question is what
hind NJ man was he. not merely
what did circumstances permit him to accom-
plish They say he was unbalanced II Is true
enough in a sense and its truth makes his sue
cess the more wonderful Let us take the House
Of Commons II there be a Legislative body IN
the world where balance. judgment, tact. discre-
ton and many other such endowmenfs are es-
sential TO success, the House OF Commons Is mat
Body Lord Randolph was member OF II Tor
twenty years. He was one OF Its foremost MEM
bers for more than half that time He was us
leader for the last SIX months Of 1885. The Oldest
member of that House is Mr.. Charles VilIiers.
who has sat in 1t without break since 1873.
and Is known as its Father; one OF the Anti
Corn Law leaders in company with Golden ana
bright; a man Of singularly acute. penetrating.
judicial mind Nobody's opinion Is worth more
and nobody has had more experience OF the
House He said OF Lord Randolph Churchill-I
am quoting what he said to me-that during MS
acquaintance with the House. then OF more than
half century he had known no man who In
the qualities essential 10 leadership OF the House.
had surpassed Lord Randolph. Think what that
means Mr. y!llierss observation includes PEEL
Palmerston. Lord John Russell. Disraeli Mr.
Gladstone All these were leaders Of the House.
Each was regarded in his own day as the great
est OF it's leaders. They are names which ring In
the ear OF the world They were tremendous
forces IN English Parliamentary life And the
most competent Parliamentary observer puts
Lord Randolph as leader level with the best
Of them.
once quoted Mr. Villiers TO Liberal MEM
be-. now living Radical LIBERIA; ne 100 =
man OF penetration and Judgment III is per-
fectly true" he said. Nobody knows 1t better
than We who sat opposite him. opposed him. lay
In wait for him. and would have upset him II We
could. There never probably, was a House
more difficult 10 lead than the House as 1t was
from July to December. 1886. Randolph led
IL without a mistake His own party was
divided. He asserted and established MS 'au-
thority. The political situation was ful OF PIT
falls. He walked unerrngiy amid them all"
And he wen, on at great length TO explain how
It was that Lord Randolph showed himself
master Of his party and cf the House. and or the
art of guiding it whithersoever he would.
And yet at the end Of the period Illuminated
by his consummate ability came the mistake
which closed his public career. II you put the
two together you can begin to have some notion
low and why It was that all these brilliant gifts
were doomed 70 be Of 50 little lasting service to
their possessor and 10 the public. II was in De-
cember. 1850 that he wrote the letter 10 Lord
Salisbury which has always been called letter
OF resignation. Some say 1t vii! be published In
full and the full history Of II will be known;
and II the causes which led to the writing Of It.
think | know the story pretty WELL but II 10
much too long tell here, and the details OF II
belong to that English political history which me
American public reads with interest when they
have long ceased 10 be OF immediate importance.
The Grevie OF the future will give them,-per'
haps SIR Henry Calcraft But there are TWO OF
three things to be said. That letter. written ana
dated from Windsor Castle. was not meant ID
a letter Of resignation. II was meant as MN"
| perhaps as menace. Of resignation. but tho
| old Obadiah-perhaps you remember the music
hail song Of that day-was more cunning hand
! than the young Obadiah He saw that the young
! Obadiah had given himself away: that the letter
! could be construed one Of absolute withdrawal
from the Ministry Personally. Lord salisbury
was fond Of his young rival. HIS reply began.
My Dear Randolph" Politically, he thought
him n mistake or a danger Their relations a.
Leader OF the Party and Leader Of the House OF
! Commons had long been strained Their con-
ceptions OF public duty were different. They did
not get on together. Lord Salisbury. 10 tell the
plain truth. jumped at the chance when MS
| Chancellor OF the Exchequer gave him. ana
gravely accepted resignation which had never
been offered When Lord Randolph saw nis
| error it too late 10 repair IL.
How came he to make It? Some OF the causes
are on the surface some lie deep In his cnarac-
ter Lord Randolph took. rightly a high vie"
| OF his duties as Leader Of the House OF Conn
| mons He held that the House could only %
well led by a Minister In full possession OF the
| policy OF his chief. and with full knowledge OF
what the Prime Minister was doing outside ths
House Lord Salisbury was not only frims
Minister He really directed the Foreign once
Of which. not long after. he became ntuiar
head while retaining his place as Prime Minis
ter. He cared more for Foreign Anairs thsn for
| ANYTHING else. He did not see why Lord Kan
| dolph should also care. lie hated interference