Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-07-23
ma The British Crisis
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Berlin congress as secretary to hts uncle
who. with Disraeli represented England.
There he acquired a taste for foreign poll.
tics. and began for the frst time to show
promising signs OF career
When he returned to England he created
a great stir, and made considerable name
for himself, but not in pviitcs. lie pub.
llshed a book entitled Defense OF Philos.
ophic Doubt" For this he was denounced
as an atheist on the one hand and lauded
as a profound philosopher on the other.
But the dawn Il his political career was
at hand. lie attached himself with Sir
Henry Wolfe and Sir John Gorst to the
political fortunes of lord Randolph
Churchill, forming the famous fourth
party, which although Il never had but
four members, changed forever the current
Of British politics, Lord Randolph
Churchill captained the many filibusters
undertaken by the tiny. party. while Mr.
Bafour devoted himself to foreign affairs.
When the Irish question became vital Mr.
Balfour suddenly and without warning, as
sumed the lead and made a terrific attack
on the liberal government lie was hailed
as a man Of rising power and three years
later his uncle Lord Salisbury. then prime
minister, took his nephew into the cabinet
without protest, lie filled several minor
places Ia the ministry and in 1891 became
first lord of the treasury ana assumed the
leadership of the conservative party In the
House Il Commons. When Gladstone was
returned to power in 1882 he became the
leader OF the opposition, His party returned
to power in 1895, and seven years later lac
succeeded his uncle as prime minister and
held that position until the liberal party
4 I,
been tho acknowledged head of his party,
and as such IL now leading the forces OPP
posed to the coalition of liberals, laborites
and Irish Nationalist.
AS an administrative officer in the cabinet
Mr.. Balfour was tightly successful. His
greatest trial was during the dark days OF
the South African war England was
wholly unprepared for the struggle with
! the Beers which was precipltated by Eng
lishmth who relied too much upon their
| inherent superiority and paid too little at
! tention to actual conditions on the whole
1t may be said that Mr. Balfour came
through the ordeal the only member OF the
government increased I'm stature and wis
dom by the events of that humliatnR
period. Certainly he was most successful
when contrasted with the inefficient Lord
Lansdowne and the incompetent Lord
Miner. When the Boer war was over
Lord Salisbury, heavy with years, retired
from public life and his mantle fell on the
shoulders of his nephew while the whole
tory party applauded 1t was another proof
of the peculiar fitness OF the Cecil family
to rule over England
Not long after Balfour came to the pre-
mership. Mr.. Chamberlain revived the
war against free trade by bringing for
ri n pgf m.
tariff question had been regarded as settled
for half century and Mr. Balfour begged
the question. Then came the revolt OF
Winston Churchill, and the recrudescence
} of Che liberal party. The conservatives
were overthrow and the liberals came
back into power with an enormous ma
jority.
, When the lords forced the dissolution OF
parliament last December by ignoring con-
stitutional precedent and rejecting the bud.
/ get, Mr.. Balfour was placed in a peculiar
position Although protesting to be q
| blouse of Commons man" he was com.
PEELED to go back on the record of hi.
= speeches for thirty years and take up the
cudgels in behalf of the lords He wa,
forced also to adopt Mr.. Chamberlain
7 tariff reform scheme
5 He fought through the ensuing genera
election campaign IN a mastery fashion
+ although 1t was plainly to be seen that h,
had no heart for the tariff reform program
upon which he was forced to base hi
, hopes of success. His speeches in tn,
campaign are monumental examples o
how not to say it," But Mr. Balfour wa
nightly in earnest in the belief that tn
e ruling classes in England must be con
( firmed in their political privileges. He wa
earnest in the belief that democracy mean
r ruin, and that any attempt to disturb tn
S relation between property and governmen
b is to invite anarchy and chaos. And becaus
] he believed these things the tories followe,
= him gladly.
J Mr.. Balfour is a Celt. He never has beef
4 anything but Scotchman. and Scotchma
? will he be to the end, but his Celtic bloo
e tells most in his love for controversial the
e ology and a good game Of golf. When
e comes TO politics he is an .Englishman an
r Cecil and believes, as did his uncle,' tina
e It is the peculiar business Of the Cecl
family to regulate the affairs of the Bri
5 fish empire.
: ny FREDERIC ]. HAsKIN.
} Tomorrow-Ths British Crisis, XIX
2 David Lloyd-deorRS.