The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-02-08
GREATEST OF ENGLISH LIMOGES.
Lord Palmerston the Most Popular Pre-.
mier of the Century,

|
LORD Paimerston the Most Popular Pre-
mier of the Century
| edward NJ. Chapman in the Century
1t Is generally conceded that no Eng
l'sh prime minister of this century has
enjoyed more enthusiastic popularity
than Henry John Temple, Viscount
| falmerston. II saying this I am not
unmindful Of the unique prestige of Mr..
gladstone. Mr.. Gladstone's power, how
ever, is built upon foundation very
Inherent from that which boistered up
The tame of the greatest Of jingoes. There
is moral austerity in his character. q
lofty ldealism in his eloquence, certain
philosophy of craftsmanship to which,
IN spite OF chance and change, he has
been true, that compel popular esteem
ana respect which seem scarcely dimin-
lshed by the general recognition of his
marvellous intellectual subtility. 1t re-
qulres no prophet to foretell the lasting
| quality of Mr.. Gladstone's fame
Palmerston's hold upon the people, on
the other hand, was due in no small
| measure to the absence of the very quail
| ties by which MIR. Gladstone is character
lied. His moral ideals, so far from Leing
exalted, were common to the last degree.
His talents com manded consideration by
their quantity rather than their quality.
He could lay little claim to eloquence,
though his plain, ungraceful speech had
the effectiveness of eloquence at times,
and was always pitched upon popular
key. When his official life was in dan
ger it rose upon one or two occasions
notably in the famous parliamentary con-
| fict of 1850-very nearly to the hight Of
| greatness. But even the blunt, half
humorous, decided manner had a certain
| speciousness about it that was character
istlo OF the man. In his mouth a can't
| phrase-his famous Civis Romanus sum
is case in point-sim ulated life so well
as to deceive the very elect He managed
| to galvanize it into wearing it's grave.
clothes as jauntily as though they had
| been holiday attire.
| Mr.. Gladstone is credited with saying
| that secret of eloquence consists in CIV
ing back to ones hearers in drops what
one has received from them as spray. II
this be Mr.. Gladstone's analysis Of his
own power, we venture to suggest that
he does himself injustice. But it serves
| admirably as a fgurative expression of
the essence Of Lord Palmerston's popu-
larity. He knew his public perfection.
Their national prejudices appealed to
him as man. aud upon these prejudices
OF course, there were not lacking those
who saw through all t his. Indeed, they
represented very considerable and high
| ly respectable opposition. But Palmer
ston knew so well what the galleries liked
and played to them with such assiduity
and success, that he could almost afford
| to ignore his critics.
| To say this is in no sense to assert that
he was without positive convictions, very
unusual administrative abilities, or
smattering of disinterested sentiment A
man may possess all these and yet be a
| little of demago9 and very much of
bully. Lord Palmerston admirably ex-
he was SUCCESSFULLY tory, disciple of
| Canning, a Peelite, and liberal is
simply to say that he was man of gen
erous instincts, who made an honest
effort to keep pace with the inevita BILE
progress of events. If it be laid to his
charge that he aided and Allotted Sir
| Robert Peel on that famous day when
the latter "found the wings bathing and
stole their Clothes" it may be pleaded in
extenuation that the bathing wings had
| vested right in the garments while
Peel and Palmerston had grown to their
size and did hard work in them.
Palmerston's worst enemy never ques-
toned his administrative powers or his
devotion to work. In his long terms at
the war and foreign offices, as we'll as
during the years when he was prime
minister, the amount of efficient labor
which he bestowed upon the public SER
vice puts him in tie front rank of work.
ing ministers; whileRhis three years as
home secretary served to illustrate both
his industry and his versatility. Nor
need there be any question that his SYM
pathies, other things being equal, were
always on the side Of the oppressed, and
that he rejoiced to strengthen the guaran-
tees of freedom. But then, other
things were never equal. Here lies the
greater indi ctment that is to be brought
against Lord Palmerston as foreign
minister. He made what he called pa
triotism fetish-a blind, despotio, tyran-
nous thing, whose ignorant and imperious
demands must be satisfied at once, re-
CARELESS of all large rules of right and
wrong. National aggrandizement.
| national self-assertion, without account
OF consequence or the higher demands of
Justice, were the ends which Palmerston
sought to obtain, and national prejudice