New-York tribune., 1909-12-16
GLADSTONE AND A PEERAGE.
And Strange Story About the Earl
dom of Liverpool.


British government 70 elevate the Right
Hon Herbert J. Gladstone % the peerage.
eoincident with his appointment a Gov
ernor General Of South Africa. II Is very
emphatiesliy stated that Il was simply
impossible to conceive OF william E.wart
Gisdstone's becoming a member Of TIE
House CT Lords. thongh. Of course. II was
within hts power at any time durfns many
years TO command such elevation
May / ask on what authority does this
editorial conclusion rest? Is II mere dedde-
tion or moral inference from a conception
Of the elder AIR. Gladstone's character. ar
is II supported by something more tangible.
such as the right hOnora BILE gentlennan's
own utterance on the subject. or a state
ment from anybody intimate enough with
him 90 he treated rs a eonfdant and who
has heard him express his attitude thereon2
For nearly forty years / read closely Mr.
Gladstone's utteranCes on POLITICAL social
and religious affairs. and. while he deitv-
cred some hard knocks in excoria ting the
peers for thwaFring some Of his pet meas
Ures, I faiI 20 recall any utterance OF his
that would warrant the conclusion y0u have
formed.
I am well aware that no public man, OF
his own day or since. changed front on
great issues with the lightning rapidly MI
Gladstone did; yet IN all his Kaleidoscope
changes OF attitude and ms arguments in
Justification thereof I have never come
across any declaration from him nor anJ
authoritative statement from those close %
him 10 warrant the belief that. II offered
under terms and conditions acceptable 10
himself the peoples William would have
refused peerage.
On tho other hand there is good reason
10 believe thar. had the sovereign consented
to confer the title ne desired 20 be called %
the upper chamber by. viz. Earl OF Liver
pool, AR Gladstone would have followed
the example 1f DlsraeM and gone there
several years before bis death But the
title. defanct since 1905 had been borne by
a former Premier. and its revival was said
20 have been refused some years later 70
George Canning (als0 a great English Pre-
nier in his day. out Of consideration Tor
the feelings Of the family representatives or
its last bearer The late Queen Victoria
had no particular fORdness for Mr. Glad
stone. and il did not need much urging
from Representatives OF the JeRkinsoa-iast
LORD Liverp0ol-and Canning families 70 IN
fiUence her majesty % raise the precedent
Of the fOrrasr refusal OF the title and con-
pirate TO confer it upon statesman who
had veered SO far away from the political
faith Of its nrst and would-be secondary
weareFs ME. Gladstone made the title oE
Earl OF Liverpool a sine ql-a non. The
Premier was test and stubborn, the Queen
was obstinate. so Mr Gladstone continued
to be a CommOner. BY some other title
than Earl of Liverpool there Is no manner
OF doubt he would have been mOst cheer
fully kicked upstairs TO the Lords-the
IongeS-for VaIhaIIa of every British warrior
on martial reid or in forum. or Of any dis
tinctiOn in any occupation in modern times
save in retail trade.
The editorial surprise expressed at the
alacriJy with which British Radicals accept
titles OF nobility deepens my impression
that the editorial writer Is as Titles con
versant with the psychic composition Of the
average BritnO, Radical or Tory, as he
seems 20 be with the everyday talk OF
twenty-five years ago concerning MIR Glad
stones elevation" To the peerage- Every
RritOn. deep down in the lOwermOst re-
cesses OF his existence. dOtes upon lord.
grumbleS only 70 dissemble this inbOrn. In
grained love and when the opportunity fog
himself to be metamOrphOsed into noble
man" occurs he can no more resist the
temptation than can duckling (even
rhoush hatched out by hen) resist the
hrst chance 10 swim Sir AlgernOn West
''RecOlectiOns the author OF which served
the elder Mr.. Gladstone many years as pri-
vate secretary-shOws in kindly and par
tial light the dual mental attitude which
that statesman maintained In relation to
almost every subject that came under the
scrutiny OF his intensely active intellect
GEORGE n. HOLDCROFT.
Brooklyn. Dec. Is. 1893
four disbelief in MIR. GladstOnes un-
willingness to enter the House Of Peers
is based upon general observation Of his
Character, career and utteranCes. and.
also upon some intimate personal ex-
must seem to be pretty conclusive evil
dence 20 that effect in the simple fact
that ne did not take peerag &c. although
his position as Prime Minister for many
years unquestiOnably would have en-
abIed him TO do so. AS for our sur
Irise" at the acceptance OF peerages by
British Radicals. We should be vastly
interested to know when and where we
nave ever expressed it. Certainly we
have never felt it. Our correspondents
confidence that Mr.. Gladstone remained
a COmmoner only because the Queen
would not let him become Earl OF
Liverpool is. We fear. as III founded as
his statements concerning that peerage
are incorrect He speaks OF that title as
"defunct since 1888 and of it's revival
having been refused some years later
T. George Canning (alsO great English
Premier in his day) out of consideration
for the feelings of the family repre-
sentatives OF its last bearer" The facts
are. of course, that the earIdOm Of Liv-
erpoOl. which was created in 1796. did
not become extinct until 1s51. upon the
death of the third earl; that the second
Earl of Liverpool was Prime Minister
from 1872 TO 1927. Mr.. Canning being
Foreign Minister iE his Cabinet: that
Mr. Canning succeeded him as Prime
Minister for only a few months in 1927,
so that the latter. while a great Foreign
Minister. was scarcely great Prime
Minister" at least in length of service:
that there could not possibly have been
any talk of "reviving" the earldOm for
Mr.. Canning. since il was then and until
long after Canning's 1eath very much
in existence. and was held by the third
earl. and that. in brief, our correspond
ent's story about the earIdOm is er-
TOneOus in every essential particular TO