The Washington times., 1901-07-30
LORD RoSEBERY.

| uition OF the laberaf party Is his theme,
as it Is the theme of all political talk In
London these days. II is one that Lord
Rnsehery. the only living Englishman
who has been at the head Of a Liberal
| Cabinet. speaks On with authority His
views have also the unique distinction
| Of being at one with the opinions of
ninety-ninc out of every hundred Eng
| hshmen. That Is to say, they are de-
| tached, impersopal and fun Of common
| sense. Lord Rosebery has always been
noted for his courageous habit of saying
| what the man in the street Is thinking
| BE II merit or defect. his speeches
have always been free from the extremes
| OF partisanship.
| He has won the title of public orator"
as much through his knack of giving
expression to the midway convictions that
are too sensible to be the property of
| either party, as through the inirnitabIe
| style In which he Is able to wrap them.
In this case Lord Rosebery sees and says.
what everyone knows to be a fact. that
a union of the Liberal party based on an
agreement to differ on the one vital mat
ter now before the country Is no union at
all butts charter OF dissent The root
| of the whole trouble to his mind. lies
deeper than merely personal jealousies.
The severance" he says. is one not
simply on the war. which will termi-
nate with the war. but n sincere. funda-
mental. and incurabie antagonism of
| principle with regard to the Empire at
| large and our consequent policy One
school, blind as I think to the develop
ments of the world. is avowedly insular;
the other places as the first article of its
creed the responsibilities and maintenance
of our free and beautiful Empire"
Between these two factions there Is and
can be no common ground Cavaliers
! and Roundileads might almost as we'll
have combined on the basis of each natr-
tanning their different opinions on the
policy of Charles t. Unity can only be
secured by one section giving way to the
other. "One school or the other must
prevail If the Liberal party Is once more
TO become force" These are not Lord
Rosebery's views alone. They are the
views of all unprejudieed Englishmen.
But the real interest of Lord Rosebery's
manifesto lies in its personal references.
After the meeting of the Reform Club,
the net result of which was to secure for
all sections of the Liberal party permis-
sion to speak about the war as they
pleased, Lord Rosebery regards his en-
forced silence of the last five years at an
end. As Mr.. Gladstone said when Oxford
rejected him and he sought refuge in the
freer air of a Lancashire constituency, he
Is "unmuzzled.' Not" Lord Rosebery Is
careful to add. that desire to re-enter
the arena of party politics; far from it,
1 shall never voluntarily return to it,
Still the period of self imposed restraint
is over Something has snapped and Lord
Rosebery Is free agent once more.
That may OF may not prove to be a politi-
cal fact of the first Importance 1t is at
least personal fact In which England
is keenly interested. 1t gives people some
ground to go upon in forecasting the
future of this fascinating nobleman.
Lord Rosebery resigned in 1896, he tells
us, with the hope rather than the ex-
peetation of promoting unity in the
LibeAal ranks. The country. which knew
next to nothing of the bitter personal
feud. almost detestation. between Lord
Rosebery and Sir William HaSeourt, put
his resignation down to momentary pique
and disappointment. Today 1t is some
what better informed. Sir William Har-
court has been weighed in the balance
and found grievously wanting. Sir Henry
Campbell-Bannerman is everywhere re-
garded a respectable stop-gap, and
nothing more. The people have missed
Lord Rosebery, and were Liberal Gov
by some miracle of politics to
come into office tomorrow the unanimous
voice OF the Kingdom would insist on his
taking the Foreign Office portfolio, if not
the premiership itself. Ii is. really re-
thing how, in spite of all doubts
and hesitancieS and much ignorance of
what Lord Rosebery is, still more of
what his opinions are, the country con-
-inues to believe in, .him and trust him
Perhaps of all European statesmen Lord
Rosebery is the most elusive Disraen
puzzled his countrymen sorely. but Dis
'aeli was mystery more by instinct and
policy Lord Rosebery battles in spite of
himself. After twenty years of public
ife England is still at a loss to know
what to think of him. Yet the fault ap-
,arently is not Lord Rosebery's. Moth
ng seems further from his engaging
,penness than any turn for dissimula-
ion. Few men could have borne them
elves more candidly or more publicly
10 much in politics, literature. sport and
ociety, touched life at SO many points
md gathered ears of corn from SO many
larvests that one would hardly suspect
ield the two greatest of English Offices
lie has been both Prime Minister and
Foreign Secretary He has also been
Hartman of the London County Council,
nd there is hardly subject from street
advertisements to imperial politics on
fhich he has not spoken Windsor knows
no better than Windsor-in
9th he is equally at home, equally popu-
ar and equally incognizable. His inter
SITS stretch far beyond the humdrum
anne of politics. He does almost every
hing that Engiishmen like their leaders
D do. his coiprs up to a year or two
go were seen everywhere on the turf:
is cattle invade all the agricultural
hows in the land; he shoots and farms
nd writes books, and yet with all these
alta England is as far from making up
er mind about him as when he first came
Ito public notice as Mr.. Gladstone's host
uring the opening Midlothian campaign.
To some his gifts and achievements
ave only the air one detects in Bulwer
yttons novels-the air of a superb and
ittering charlatanerie. Others who be-
eve in him picture him a sort of moral
lc!, iaGes, Bolingbroke. without his
filings. Between these two estimates
oats the popular view, frankly mysti-
ed by many things, and especially by the
lilure of his premiership. yet believing
lat his abilities are real and his per-
,rmances solid and that there is still
reat part for him to play In public life.
II agree on this. at least-that no such
azzling and brilliant figure has appeared
England since the days of George III.
seemed for while that Lord Rosebery
'ufd fail in nothing. He was. appar-
ltly, supreme in everything he cared
do or TO. attempt. He made his debut
; speaker at public and literary gath
'ingS. and London soon realized that
lie had discovered, what she is always
oking for and rarely finds outside the
merican Embassy, really hrst-class
ter-dinner orator.
From public speaking he passed on to
Olitics. He held a couple of minor offices
nd then Mr.. Gladstone made him For
gn Secretary. 1t was in this position
iat he achieved the one solid political
lcceSs that can be placed to his credit
far. The Queen declared him heav-
l-born Foreign Minister Bismarck was
Den in his admiration for a man with
ill equal to his own Success StlI at