The sun., 1903-06-14
IANSDOWNE'S SEESAW CAREER
Ups .iND DOHNS or THE BRTTISH
FOREIGN MINISTER.

An Object N .'spular Hatred During the
80. RaAr War. hut IN Idol Of the Public
Now--Succrss Due In Part 70 Clever
W,fe--A Mighty Hunter OF Tigers.
|. "How fickle Ia popular favor said
rwpIl-known English politician In a London
club recently Look at Lansdowne.
"Not long ago when our troops were
,enceunter,ng uisaster upon disaster in
South Africa he was the most unpopular
man in England. AZ Minister Of War no
WIS blamed for svorytMng overlooked or
Unforeseen by the army. II he had gone
among London mob after Stromberg, say,
be would have stood a good chance Of being
torn to TAeces.
but now he Ia popular idol. He has
warned Russia on the Persian Gull. ana
Immediately he is acclaimed as another
Palmer .ton. The whirligig OF time haa
brought him up to the top again with aston
isbing rapidliy
"No man over seemed more hor+lessly
ruined politically than Lansdownr when
ppblic Indignation at the South African
bhlnders forced him to give up the Office
OF Secretary of State for War. His APP
pointncnt as Foreign Minister imms diate!y
atterward was the most unpopular act OF
tlp pluckicst But il has turned out well.
-Lansdowne, starring ns the h@st-hated
man in British politics, has become tho
most popular British Foreign Minister
siIc. Russb,ry- perhaps since. Palnprston.
He ha. a great career before him. and it
would not he surprising ifhe succeeded Mr..
Bslfour in the Premiership WHEN the latter
grows tired OF it.
,Tba craIit for tI. Nnr,uIis of IapS-
d0wne's success at the British Foreign
Office i, largely due to his clever wife"
Lfkc many English women of noble families.
she makes politics her hobby Bismarck
used to call her tho amateur diplomatlst.
add say that she was too clever for most
Of his Amhassa dors,
,That was in her younger days. Since
then her husband has been Viceroy of India
and Canada and there, too, has won golden
opnions from everybody,
Lord Lansdowne was one OF the best
viceroys India ever had. but the English
officials used TO say that Lady Lansdowne
nAally governed the country. II one OF
them wanted bridge. or an irrigation
tfnk. or a famine relief appropriation for
III district, he would try to interest Lady
IAnsdowne in the matter rather than the
viceroy, II she could be convinced that the
thing was needed. she would soon set 'he
right wheels to work and get il.
When Lady Lansdowne went out into the
streets her carriage would be surrounded
by natives who wanted grievances redressed
or privileges granted TO them by the Gov
ernment She would 60 10 great trouble
to make inquiry into their cases and see
i,istice done At nights she would 60 dis
guised In native garb Into the poorest
Slbarters of Calcutta on missions Of charity
e., os Justice like feminine Aaroun-al'has'
retired Indian Judge tells curious
story about Lady Lansdowne. He was
dining at the viceregal lodge one night.
and the conversation turned upon a sensa-
ing at the time.
After dinner Lady Lansdowne drew
the judge aside and said
'aI do not want to interfere with your
judicial duties. but know as an absolute
kct that the man who is charged with
that murder is innocent. If you will send
q detective to me tomorrow morning !
will direct him to the house where the real
murderer is now hiding. ! only discovered
the fact this afternoon when l was down
there in disguise with one Of our syces."
Sure enough, the murderer was caught,
a. Lady I.ansdowne had said, and the
innocent man was released. This Incl
dent, becoming known, made her very
are not used to English mem -sahibs taking
30 much interest in their humble lives.
Lady Lansdowne would not tell how
she found out the murderer. She said
that she made 1t rule never to talk about
her excursions in native costume, lest
she should get her native guides and friends
into trouble with their own people.
Her husband was famous for two thing
during his stay in India-his dread Of the
Russians and his courage in tiger shooting.
He saw tho hand Of the Russians every
wherein Afghanistan, in Persia. in Kash-
mir, on the Pamirs, even in native riots in
Calcutta. His subordinates used to laugh
at his Russophobia.
Il really believe" said one OF them,