The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-07-16
Tho Change of Premier In Great
britain,

The han of Premier IN ereat
Vrtt atn.
Tho exported happened when o n Fri
day Lord SALISBURY resigned the office
Of Prlnc Minister. and when. on the fol-
lowing day. Mr. A. J BALFouR accepted
the post. IL was o to be suppos ed
thar the retiring Premier would omit 20
recommend his nephew especially AZ
the latter has been for years the leader
Of the Conservatives in the House of
Commons. and Is believed to have made
no enemies among his colleagues On
the iacr 81 things the e Hotel Cecil -
remains as dominant a. ever IN the
British Government. but II will probably
he found that. as a matter Of fact. tho
centre 81 political gravity has been
materially shifted. II Is true that no
further changes in tho Cabinet are, as
vet. known 10 b. contemplated. but
from the nature Of things the relative
weight II Mr. JosErH CHAMBERLAIN in
Ministerial councils will hc considers
ably increased.
For many reasons -@ome social. some
political and some moral-the outgoing
Premier exercised n Christening and
subdung influence on the self-assertive
member for West Birmingham. As the
head NJ a historic family. the younger
branch of the House of Cecil a. one
who. though born IN tho purple. proved
himself In early manhood able 10 earn n
livelihood with the pen; as n parliament
,- a,,- ,.. a,,..,a,.. md
thrice Prime Minister. and. finally. as \
person e~asy-going in small matters. but
masterful and lnfeNible IN things that
seemed q him Of consequence. Lord
SALISBURY united the qualities most
likely To command respect and defer
ence from a man Of Mr. CH,MPERLAINs
~antAcrdeniS and character lnsatiably
ambitious ~ he Is. and undIsgulsediv
disdaintul of some of his competitors.
Mr. CUAMBERL.IN seems 10 have reCog-
nlzed that, 20 long ~ Lord SALISBURY
should remain IN Office. where MAC
GREGoR sat would b. tho head ~ the
table HIS relations with Nr. BAL orr
the new Premier. are necessarily on a
different footing though they have been
slngularlv cordial
Mr.. CHAMsERL,IS was twelve years
older. 10 begin with. and he was Presi-
den, Of the Board Of Trade. with n seat
IN Mr. G~LADsToNE's Cahiner when Mr..
BALForR was skIrmishing on the out
skirts IT the Opposition A. a Ere" lance
IN Lord RANDOLPH CHURCHIIL's fourth
party of four In the crucial month
of June. 1875. when he organized the
secession Of Liheral-I nionlsts that de-
fcated Mr. GLADSTONE. a. the leader
If the Radical Unldnist contingen, IN
1895. and. finally, a. the Contriver Of the
Khaki campaign in 1907, MIR CHAM
BsRI-AIS has come near 20 being ths,
rdrd dr,s in politics. the indisI ~nsable
man: whereas nobody would pretend
that Mr.. BAIFoUR's retirement to private
life n anv tune during the last sixteen
wears would have pun the Cnlonist coali-
ton in jeopardy. In respect Of temper
ament. also. the two men differ widely
Mr.. CHAMBFRLAIS Is n born combatant
Mr.. BALFoCR. a philosophical spectator
The former believes that anything no
wants mus, be got, though II should
take a battle. the latter IL inclined to
question whether anything IN this sub
lunary sphere is worth fighting for
Given the coeNistence Of two such mon
in the same Cabinet. the one a. nominal
chief, the other a., principal lieutenant
in the Commons given also the Ger
tainty that their natural tendencies.
instead Of being checked bv friction.
will obtain full play through friendship
and there can he but little doubt which
will prove the dynamic factor. man
who knows precisely what he wants
and means to have il, is unlikely to give
way: the man who likes nothing over
much. and hates nothing except a row
is tolerably certain To yield.
Passing TO concrete and proIimats
results Of the change in the Premier
ship Of Britain, Sir MICHAEL HICKS
BEACH. distinguished as an opponent Of
Mr.. ANBERIAIN's colonial policy, has
gone. or il going Tho others Of his kind
are vet TO to heard from.