The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-05-17
AN AMERICAN LORD.
!. BORN m BROOKLYN TO BECOME A
PEER OF ENGLAND.

Mr.. Burdett-coutts Will BE Raised to the
Peerage on the Occasion Of the Queens
Jublee-Dcclined the Honor When IL
Was offered Year Ago.
lt Is not for any great services to the
state that the youthful American born
husband OF the octogenarian Baroness
Burdott -Coutts is about to receive a peer
age ON the occasion of the queens Jubilee.
but in consequence of the enormous polit.
1cal influence which he can WELD through
his multimillionaire wife. who "a the
ground landlord of tho greater portion of
the densely populated Westminster district
'of London. Moreover, the baroness owns
an Immense amount of landed property
throughout the United Kingdom, and in
Great Britain the landlords have means
unknown in the United States of compell-
ing their tenants to vote according to their
wishes
IL will doubtless astonish many persons
10 learn that young Mr.. Burdett- Coutts,
who was born In Brooklyn of New Eny.
land parents, and who, extensively related
at Philadelphia, received his elementary
education in America, was offered peer
age by Lord Salisbury a year ago and de-
clined il.
The reasons for his refusal were Of
character TO place the Conservative party
under an obligation to him, for the late
Sir walter dc Sousa, who has just died,
was his political rival In the parliamentary
representation Of Westminster, and was
sufficiently popular in the district to rem
der 1t certain that if Mr.. Burdett-C Coutts
resigned his seat in order to enter the
house Of lorAs it would inevitably have
been carried by Sir Walter on a Liberal
platform in preference to any Tory candi-
date
Moreover, Sir Walter, in fighting Mr.
Burdett -Coutts at the last three parlia-
mentary elections, displayed so much per-
sonal animosity toward him and made so
uDgenerous use of the peculiar circum-
stances of his rivals marriage that the
young ex-American made up his mind
that never as long as he could help IL
would he enable Sir Walter to realize the
dream Of his life and the climax of his am
bition, TO represent Westminster in parlia.
ment.
Sir Walter has just died, and, as there is
no other Radical candidate in view with
anything like the same local prestige and
popularity as the late politician, Mr.. Bur
dett-Coutts can afford to vacate his seat
without any danger of its being 4ost to the
Tory party.
Mr.. Burdett Coutts, who is now very
wealthy in his own right-his wife having
settled upon him an annuity of $3.50, 900 on
the wedding day-has devoted large sums
of money toward the campaign funds of
the Conservative party, besides which il
Ia generally understood that every Eng
of hla conduct md pa rapt.
age who is able TO show that no has
minimum income of 500, 900 a year de.
rived from Land has a right to seat in
the house of lords That was an axiom OF
England's greatest prime minister, Pitt,
and il has been followed more or less ever
since his time.
Whatever objections may have been
raised against Mr.. Burdett- -Coutts in cor.
nection with his marriage-which, 1t can.
not be denied, excited an immense amount
of Ill will against him among all Glasses,
especially IN society, clubland closing its
doors against him-yet he has behaved
since then with so much discretion, tact
and respectability that he has to great
extent lived down the animus against him.
The Prince of Wales has set the example
by inviting him to Sandringham, and he
is now in every sense of the word accepted
by the London great world.
Moreover, he has signally strengthened
his position by his devotion to horse breed
ing, in which he has achieved extraordi-
nary success, rendering real services to that
particular branch Of British sport. Eng
lish folk will forgive anything to man
who does that, even marriage to woman
old enough 10 be his grandmother.
Mr.. Burdett-Coutts will be the first per
son born an American citizen To enter th,
house of lords. There have been Americans
naturalizcd as EnglishDen who have re
ceived baronetcies and knighthoods, but
no one yet has had a peerage conferred
upon him. l need scarcely say that
Mr.. Burdett- Coutts, who is an English
university graduate as is his brother, Sin
Ashmead Bartlett, is frequent visitor &c
the United States, and on several occa
sons has acted rs judge of hackneys at the
horse shows held in New York. .-Marquise
de Fontenoy in Chicago Record