New-York tribune., 1909-12-05


terday with placerds proclainins:
The Lords declare Civil War"
suppose the Radicals think IL pays
10 force the note. Mr.. Winston Churchill
Is their bandmaster for the uorent
There Is no more effective political rhat-
orician. provided you believe the neople
are all fools. or all capable OF being
iooied all the time: a fallacy against
which the warning OF Mr. Lincoln passes
unheeded
But there is. al least on one side a
state Of feeling in the country comma
rable 10 nothing can remember except
the feeling which prevailed during the
Home Rule crisis. and far stronger now
Onah then. In that crisis also the Lords
came TO the rescue OF the Kingdom.
which they saved from disintesration
and ruin. Ruin for the moment II would
nave been; only 10 be finally averted bv
the reconquest Of ireland Even 10 the
spectator those were stirring days. Eng
land and Ireland from 1881 onward had
become the Wild West The revolver
was the real safeguard OF personal lib
erty. don't think il will be quite Ike
that now, but IL does seem as IL the hit
terness OF contention and the personal
ities Of politics would go further now
man then-perhaps have already gone
further
was In Ireland for a fortnight during
one OF the worst periods. but there were
times when London was as disturbed
ana distressful as Ireland itself Those
We're years OF dynamite in England. when.
as Lord Randolph Churchill said. the
railway stations were flying about our
ears, and when London Bridge came
near being blown up. and when English
men in high place were targets. From
the Prime Minister down 10 his youngest
colleague. no man was safe without a
guard OF detectives; and not then Mr..
Gladstone whose courage was high,
shook OF his escort whenever he could.
other Ministers paid more respect 70 a
very real danger. Sir George Trevelyan.
who was appointed Chief Secretary for
ireland in 1882. submitted sensibly 20
the precautions the Home Once and
Scotland Yard thought needful one
afternoon ! met Trevelyan in a Bond
street shop. We left the shop together.
outside the door i hope you don't
mind said Trevelyan. I am obliged 10
lei them follow me" They We're Scot
land Yard detectives. AS we walked
down the street they were within earshot
all the way. their vigilance unrelaxtng.
Whether they thought their ward in
greater or less danger because 1 was
with him I cannot say. We parted at
the corner Of Piccad!uy. In both streets
the throng on the sidewalk was dense.
but through il these men made their way
without violence. without haste. but
never for an instant allowing themselves
20 be separated from the Chief Secretary
by so much as an arms length. He
walked in peril not only real but inmi-
nent. Two days before his appointment
as Chief Secretary his predecessor. Lord
Frederick Cavendish. and Mr. Burke.
permanent Under Secretary. had been
murdered. To accept that Inheritance Of
probable assassination vas gallant act.
quite characteristic Of Sir George Ire
velyan- But I do not imagine that he
or his friends ever while he held that
Office forgot what had happened in
Phoenix Park. In all Mr. ParneIrs
varied life nothing he did became him
better than his condemnation OF that
murder and his offer 20 withdraw from
Parliament and from public life.
Not many evenings later ! met SIR
George Trevelyan al dinner. II he lad
not been famous as a writer and Mem
Der of Parliament and Irish Secretary
and much else, he might well have been
famous as a diner-out. He had the art
Of conversation. His uncle's influence
had left him. in this respect, untouched
Where Macaulay discoursed and reeled
of dreary pages Of encyclopedia knowl-
edge. Trevelyan talked lightly and well:
claiming no monopoly. preaching no ser
mon. wearying no company too well bred
20 show itself bored He had a felicity
Of aIlusion which was so wholly free
from pedantry as 10 seem almost acci-
dental His voice. like Brownings. was
strident and HIS laugh sometimes bois-
ferrous; but this was in moments Of ex-
element.
on this particular evening there was
something besides his inspiriting talk
which drew the attention OF the COM
pany SO long as the ladies were at
table he talked with his wonted energy.
When the dining room door had closed
on the last Of these departing angels
Treyelyan sank into his chair with
sigh drew a revolver from the breast
pocket OF his coat. laid il on the table
and said 10 his host:
Pray forgive me. but IL you knew now
tired ] am Of carrying this thing about"
on Sir George Trevelyan. as on others.
the Irish Secretaryship left its mark A
year OF office aged him as IL IL were ten.
he came out worn and gray: not yet
forty-five years old. The tragedy vas
in one particular a tragi-comedy. Half
Ills mustache had turned white. the
other half black as before. And / sup
pose IL shook his nerve more or less and
Was perhaps responsible for that c1kle-
ness OF purpose OF Of view which led him
frst 70 oppose and then 10 adopt Mr..
GladstOne's policy OF Home Rule.
saw one side OF the Irish question
during a visit 10 Lord Barrymore then
M Smith Barry, and his beautiful
American wife. at Fota Island. near
Queenstown Mr.. William O'Brien had
.bnr.l. baTora this his New