The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-07-15
turn of the commanding general are con-
s!Jcred appropriate for his withdrawal
SIGNS OF WANING POWER.


| Thomas Power O'Connor. NJ L., in an
! interview summed up the situation in
| Salisbury and the appointment of Mr..
| The resignation of Lord Salisbury was
! expected in connection with the corona
| connection with the resignation of LORD
| Balfour as follows:
| ton Of King Edward. but when the cor
onation did not tale place there gre"
up an idea that perhaps the Premier S
| resignation was indefinitely postponed.
| Old men cling to power. and IT was sup
posed that Lord Salisbury was not free
| from the weakness Of so many others.
| This prospect did not quite satisfy his
| coleasu Lord Salisbury's health has
been Indifferent. His extreme obesity
| is of course inconsistent with activity,
| either of mind or body. There were
whispers that he sometimes was over
come by sleep in the midst of momen-
tous Cabinet councils and that he awoke
only when the discordant voices of Jo-
seph Chamberlain and Sir Michael Hicks
Beach. the two chief opponents in the
Cabinet, reached an unusually high
pitch.
"a WANT OF GRIP
Once or twi.e too. lately in the House
of Lords he has shown certain want
of grip that was almost painful. For in
stance. when the terms of peace In South
Africa had to be announced he calmly
asked the Lords whether they desired to
hear the words of Lord Kftcheners de-
spatch, as if the communication was
really of little or no Importance.
Probably his resignation now has been
influenced partly by the desire to make
sure of the succession being in the Cecil
family and still more with a view to pre-
venting the accession Of Mr.. Chamber
lain No man could he more adverse
r., mr.
being in the hands of so impulsive rest
less and arrogant a politician as the
Colonial Secretary. Though they had
been made political bedfellows by neces-
sity, Lord Salisbury and Mr. Chamber
lain remained apart and were secretly
hostile to each other.
I'm addition. the accession of Mr..
Chamberlain might involve the imme-
diate dismissal of Lord Cranborne. Under
Secretary for the Foreign Office. and the
Earl of Selborne. First Lord of the Ad-
miralty members of Lord Salisbury's
family. and it must also have meant such
a paling of the star of Mr. Ralfour as
practically to destroy his prestige
CHAMBERLAIN AND THE TORIES.
1T is doubtful. in any case. whether
the rank and file of the Tory party would
have accepted Mr.. Chamberlain willing
~. They use him. but they do not like
him. There is certain section of young
Tories who do not love Mr.. Balfour,
thinking him slack decadent and lethar-
ec. but he is still the darling of the
straight Conservatives and his appoint
ment will be even more popular with
his political opponents than with his po~
litical friends
Despite his many faults. Mr.. Balfour
remains the most popular figure in the
House of Commons. and his very faults
help him in this respect. If he be indo-
lent he is also courteous, tolerant and
| broadninded. and he will not insult other
nations, as Mr. Chamberlain has done.
| His tongue is we'll under restraint and
| he has all the instincts of a. gentleman.
HOPES FOR IRELAND.
II regard the change as beneficial to
Ireland. in the long run. Mr.; Balfour
| has had much experience of Ireland. and
though he is not yet Home Ruler. all
his old animosity has disappeared and
he is just the man to propose a solution
| of the lons-outstanding difficulty.
But Mr.. Balfour does not IT,, come int, into
| ton bill. which he is plotting through the
| House of Commons. arouses tremendous
f! religious passions on both sides. and it's
| doubtful if he will be able to carry it
| political opponents as will eXasperate
| some Of his own political friends. The
| aftermath of the war also has come. and
| the majority of the Government. though
| large is wanting in cohesion. But II is
| useless Specializing further: the nneXpecs
| ed is always the dominant factor in Eng
lish politics
CECIL FAMILY CONTINUES.
By the ascent of Mr.. Balfour to the
Premiership the Cecil family retains It's
hold on the British Government
Mr.. Balfour will be "a years old July
3 He is tho eldest son of the late James
Maitland Balfour. of Whittingllame,
Haddinetonshire, and Lady Blanche
Mary Harriet. daughter of the second
Marquis of Salisbury. Educated at Etor
and at Trinity College, Cambridge. he
took his b A degree with secondclass
honors in moral science in 1859 He en-
| tered Parliament in 1874 as member for
| Hartford which constituency he repre-
scented until 1883. when he was elected
for East Manchester. for which he still
sits
WAS SALISBURY'S SECRETARY.
He acted as private secretary to the
Marquis of Salisbury at the Foreign
Office during the critical period ls7S-,so,
! when the Berlin treaty was negotiated
| In June. 1875. he accompanied a special
| commission to Berlin.
In the early portion of his parliamentary
| career Mr. Balfour acted for a time With
the so called Fourth Party" name IA
| cetiously given to a small number of Con-
| scrva,ive members led by Lord Randolph
1
| neut nctica until iN>". whcn he became a
| privy Councillor and president of the Lo-
| cal Government Board.
from July, 1885, to March 1857. he was
Secr etary for Scotland with a seat in the
| Cabinet In November, lSct, he was Up
| rented Chief Secretary for Ireland The
appointment was undoubtedly great OK
| pertinent. but the task OF the ratification
OF ireland was more or less successfully
| coned with by Mr. Balfour. At one time.
| d,Irinc his tenure of the chief secretary
ship his unpopularity with the Irish home
rulers was extreme.
The new purchase land bill. which had
| been dropped fer some time after its
first INTRODUCTION, was passed in August.
| 1s.I The act provides further funds for
the purchase of land in Ireland and makes
| permanent the Land Commission: it also
creates a congested districts board. which
| has power to relieve congested districts.
IRELAD'S BENEFACToR.
During October. 1Sss, he made 4 tour
tn, ough western districts of Ireland. Wis
ting Mayo. Donegal and other places
thre stened with famine. In January. 1881.
\