The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-01-24

from the pocket borough of Woodstock.
The voters were all tenants of his father
the Duke, and there was little opposition
to the candidacy of the young Lord.
Almost his first speech in the House
created a tumult. Sir Stafford Northcote
leader of the Conservative party, took
offense at some remarks of Lord Randolph
concerning the financial policy of Lord
Beaconsfield. Amotion to close the debate
having been made, the young Lord in
sisted on recognition at the hands of the
Speaker, and, turning to the Conservative
benches, angrily said: ''You may not
want to hear me now, but the time will
come when you will have to do So"
He at once undertook to found an indie
pendent party, and with Henry Gorst, Sir
Drummond Wolff and George Balfour Gre
ated the Conservative annex, known as the
fourth party. Mr.. Gladstone, who was
then in power, had no particular love for
the young politician, who carried on a
vigorous warfare against the Grand Old
Man. Lord Churchill was a brilliant
speaker, and whenever he arose to debate
a crowd would always flock in from the
smoking-room His speeches were full of
invective against Mr.. Gladstone On one
occasion he dubbed the great Liberal
leader 1.-THE Moloch of Midlothian; an
other time he referred to him as "a plum
dering cuckoo" and even did not hesitate
to tell the great commoner 'that he was
intoxicated with the exuberance of his
own verbosity."
OF course, the Conservatives howled with
delight at the verbal onslaughts of the
leader of the Fourth party but he often
proved thorn in the sides of the Tory
leaders, for he would oppose them as
cheerfully as he did the Liberals. For
years he carried on guerrilla warfare,
owning allegiance to no one party, not
even his own pet Fourth" There was
scarcely a measure introduced into the
House upon which he did not speak, but
while he scored heavily in debate by hurl-
ing defiance to the leaders the graver
heads accused him of vacillation for his
own personal advancement. When Charles
Bradlaugh sought admission to the Com
mons as the duly elected representative of
Northampton it was Lord Churchill who
led the fight to prevent the apostle of
atheism writing M. P. after his name.
Conservative politics was soon recognized
by the leaders, and Lord Churchill found
himself practically leader of the party in
the Commons when Lord Salisbury sue
ceeded Beaconsfie Id. In 1884 there were
many momentous questions under consid-
Grafton. The Egyptian war proved adj
yantageous for the increase of Churchills
popularity. Night after night he tainted
Gladstone on a want of definite policy on
that campaign. Public feeling was aroused
at the manner in which the Govern
ment was acting, and Lord Churchill
had many passage of arms with the aged
Premier.
At length the Liberals were defeated,
June 8, 1885, on the budget, and Lord Sal
isbury was intrusted by the Queen to form
a Cabinet. He at once saw that the
aggressive young Churchill must be taken
into the party council and he was given |
the portfolio of Secretary of State for India |
This was looked upon as an anti-Russian |
attitude. Soon after bitter quarrels arose |
between Lord Churchill and Sir Stafford |
Northcote, and to make peace the latter |
was sent to the House of Lords and |
Churchill became Chancellor OF the Ex-
chequer. 1t was soon after that the policy
of Lord Churchill underwent a violent
change and he was called 'politi-
cal weathercock" by Gladstone. Where
he had formerly demanded an in
crease of the army and navy, he now in
sisted upon retrenchment. Where he had
demanded increase of taxation he now
called for reduction. He quarreled with
the other members OF the Cabinet, and
finally, in the fall of 1886, resigned his port
folio. He was at once denounced on all
sides by the Conservative press, and the act
spread CONSERVATION in the ranks. Glad
stone and his followers openly reioiced at