New-York tribune., 1899-02-14
are. both organized and individual chart'
o,,cxt IN no npculiarly alert and bountlful.
THE NEW LIBERAL LEADER.

1boro le n no,v Liberal leader in the Brit
,sb House Of Commons, in succession to Sir
William Uarcourt. resigned This Is Sir Henry
Camnhcll. Rannerman He was formally elect
o1 to tho nloce last week. on the eve OF the
ononinc Of the session. He accepted the place
and is filling II to the apparent satisfaction OF
the marty and with the cordial cOmmcndation
or all. This latter was to he expected. Sir
Horny was by far the most available and most
promising candidate for the place. lie Is
Younger than Sir Edward Grey and less re-
served and cold than Mr.. Asquith. lie Is eN-
contionallv tacful. and urbnnc IN manner
toward both his collesGu and his opponents.
TIe oniovs. therefore, in Il marked degree thc
loval confidence of the former ana the respect
Of the latter He is. moreover. in length OF
service the senior Privy Councillor ana one OF
the oldest Members Of Parliament on the LID
oral side. and II Is not 10 he forgotten that II
was under his temporary leadership ana throuSh
his personal act that the Liberals last over
threw Conservative Government in the House.
or q truth IN choosing him the Liberal party
has chosen well.
If has. that IS 10 say. chosen well for itself.
Whether il has chosen we'll for Sir Henry
Campbell- Bannerman Is another story. mat
gentleman has now served Mt Westminster as
Member for Stirling Burghs continuously Tor
thirty-one years. In that time ne mas as
charged multifarlous duties He has heen III
the War Office and the Admiralty ana me
Irish Office But not even in the lastnalncd
Chief Sccretaryship did so oncrouS ana thanK-
less q tnsk confront him as does now. lie mas
10 lead n party which for years mas Deen not
q nartv so much as n set Of factions. IL is
party that not merely was mutnouS under bord
Rosebcry and Sir William Harcourt, bnt which
even Gladstone could not always keep IN manu.
and Sir Henry cstmable and capable rs ne Is
is not a Gladstone. il Is party that mas had
TO rcpudate its chief Issue OF a Few years
400 and that has so lost or been "dshed' out
OF IT'S other issues that IT now has nor one OIL
the first order on which "a appeal 10 the
electorate And he must lead that party 80
far rs its factionists will be led, against an
other that IS strongly intrenched in power ana
office and that has Of late been almost uh'-
formlv and brilliantly successful In crete on
the Nile in China, In relations WIN America
in relations with the colonies In the paclnca-
tion and Improvement Of Ireland, in national
defence. in the general prosperity Of the uni'eu
Kincdom the present Government has made n
noteworthy record
To sov This IS not TO say the Liberal party
Is doomed to remain p'IptAu|lN ~ wv
shade OF Opposition" 1t Is not. A'ernauo"
of mower between the two great parties has
long hcen the unwritten law Of British poll
tics For thirty years II has been practically
unhrollen: for the sole apparent breach or IL
in 1Ss5 proved really an enforcement OF II.
And further back the names Of Palmerston and
Derby and Of Melbourne and Peel. play
stately came Of ms and outs What we nave
said and what seems TO us to-day the dominant
foct IN thc case. is thai the Liberal party Is IN
q transition state. n state Of fuI. How soon II
will emerge therefrom In what new form II
will no crvstallized and to what extent the
Conservative party will he involved IN the re-
organization Of British politics are thc ques-
+ione unon whose answering the chlef interest
HANGS There was similar state or analrS
inst about fifty years ago when the wing party
disa,neared and was replaced by the Liberals
and tbe latter entered upon finer career than
! tho Former had known. Whether the LlDeraI
marty shall remain Liberal, or become Radical
or whatever else. its usefulness may Wen pe
maintained. and indeed enhanced. The task OF
Guiding the changes Alright will he an arduouS
ono above all others of recent years: but II VIII
! also no one OF all but Incompatible posslblllueS
and nromiscs. And to the cssayng OF such Il
tosk Sir Henry Campbell Zimmerman Is called.