The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-01-29
BALF0UR.
Brilliant Leader of
Tories.
DEATH PENALTY.
Two Startling Instances Of
Miscarried Justice.

The one leader in British politics who
seems to be peculiarly and singularly
happy in his present conditions ard
future prospects is Arthur James Bal
four, first lord of the treasury and lead
en- of the house of commons. He is, I'M
questionably, the strongest man in
English public life today and the car
eer that lies before him is big with pos
sibility. Given the allotted length of
years, and retaining the vigor of mind
and body that has been his so far, his
future is assured. In this he has the
advantage of his rival for popularity,
Joseph Chamberlain, whose political
future is problematical, to say the least.
Mr.. Balfour was born in Scotland in
Salisbury, to whose influence he un-
doubtedly owes much of his rapid prog
ress in state affairs. He entered public
life, after liberal and brilliant univer-
slty course, some 20 years ago Els
opening years in parliament failed to
show him in any other light than that
| Of a shy and taciturn young member
whose talents did not give much pro-
mise that their owner would ever "set
the Thames on fire."
In 1880, when Gladstone came into
Office, at the head of the strongest lib
eral party of the century, there also
came into the house Of commons three
powerful personalities, each of whom
/ was destined to- make his impress upon
the pages of history. They were, Charles
Bradlaugh, Lord Randolph Churchill
and Parnell Neither Churchill nor Par
nell was new to parliament, as private
members, but their entrance in 1880 was
1 as characters of national Importance.
] l5radiaugh was returned for the first
| time. He came to the house as a lib
eral, and colleague of Henry Labou-
4 chere in the representation of the city
of Northampton. There was nothing re-
lnarkaole about Bradlaugh, except that
he was an atheist, open and ayoWed
and 1T was feared there would be a fuss
or scene" when the time came for him
to take the oath.
The lookedfor fuss materialized In
deed, it was the biggest rumpus Of its
KIND the staid house of commons had
seen IN modern times. The whole coun-
try was turned upside down, and the
English national conscience, conform
ist and dissenting, was shocked at the
dramatic refusal of Mr.. Bradlaugh TO
take the oath as prerequisite of his
membership of the commons The Irish
members took no hand in the fight.
They We're there for other business, and
were perfectly content to let the lib
erals and tories settle the Bradlaugh
ditilculty between themselves.
The fight over the Swear or Not
Swear difficulty continued for several
days, and when the storm finally sub
sided it was found that the troubled
waters had thrown upon the political
beach most unlocked for curiosity. 1t
was no less than new party and it
was quickly dubbed the fourth party
the liberal, tory and Irish parties being
the three great divisions of the house
up to that time.
1t was the fourth party, also, in
numbers. Its membership consisted of
four men-Lord Randolph Churchill,
Mr.. Arthur James Balfour, Sir John
Gorst and Sir Henry Dummond Wolfe.
/ These four were "kiclzers" in the
American sense of the term. They had
grown FESTIVE under the slow and con
servitive methods Of the respectable
leaders of the tory party, and they de-
clded to set up housekeeping on their
own account. Their party ship was in
stormy seas from the start The tory
press Jerred at the quartet, and no end
or fun was poked at the four insur-
gents. They kept on their way, how
ever allowing no opportunity to har-
rass the ministry to escape them.
One night, during the Bradlaugh ex-
cltement, Churchill hade a clever move.
which precipitated an angry debate fol-
| lowed by a division that was too close
to be comfortable for the administra-
ton. It is said that az the members
were filing that night into the division
lobbies to be counted by the tellers,
Churchill nudged his associate, Ralfour.
and, in tones of delight, said to him,
we have got hold Of good thing.
Let's stick to it,
Balfour has stuck to it" from that
day to the present. Churchill frail and
excitable, could not stand the strain.
and he is now with the great majority.
/ But Balfour, self-contained and ath-
letic, has gone on year by year grow
ing strong with the people, until he
stands today the undisputed heir in his
own party, to the premiership, which
is now held by his uncle of Salisbury.
! Balfour's great opportunity for adj
vancement came when he was sent to
Ireland as chief secretary in 1887. Com
! ing after such men as William Il. Fors-
ter and George Otto Trevelyan Balfour.
as head of the Irish office, was looked
upon as a good deal of a joke. But he
proved before he was many months at
! Dublin castle that he was anything but
a joke. No men arrived more quickly
at that conclusion than the able alert
and determined representatives from
Ireland with whom Balfour was
| brought nightly into bitter and impas-
stoned conflict. Parnell once said that
Balfour was the only English minister
he had crossed swords with that he
! found worthy of his steel and when
] Parnell paid that tribute to his adver-
sary 1t may be set down that the trib-
ute was deserved.
Balfour was a successful Irish sec
retary That is as successful as a Brit
ish tory trying to govern Ireland
against her will could be. He coerced
and dragooned the people without stint
or mercy. But he also studied the
Irish problem, and his conclusions led
| him to a realization Of the fact that
something else beside man1cles and
dungeons, was needed to restore order
and pacify the people. So he identified
/ himself closely with the movement for
! Irish remedial legislation, and the land
purchase acts and other reform meas
ures which have been passed into law
! within the last ten years, found in Mr.
Balfour powerful and consistent sup
porter.
His latest effort at pacifcatlon Is the
Catholic university scheme which will
be brought before parliament imme-
diately 1t assemblies.
His project Is to establish a Catholic
university at Dublin and a Protestant
university at Belfast, both to be LIBERAL
ly endowed by the government. And he
hopes by this dual sop to placate all
elements In Ireland and reconcile every
body to the existing regime. He expects
to succeed where every statesman, from
+ tt to Gladstone. has failed. Is he over
sangr1linn2 Time will foil