El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-07-23
By
Frederic
]. HaSkn

ne went no the Berlin congress a s
! secretary to his uncle who. with Dis
raeli, represented England. There he
I acquired a taste for foreign politics,
and began for the first time to show
promising signs of career.
| When he returned to England he
created a great stir, and made a con-
siderable name for himself. but not in
! politics He published book en-
! titled Defence of Philosophic Doubt
/ For this he was denounced as an
| atheist on the one hand and lauded
as profound philosopher on the
other.
! Joins Churchill Forces.
But the dawn of his political career
j was at hand. He 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 it
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. Balfour de-
voted himself to foreign affairs.
When the Irish question became
vital, Mr.. Balfour suddenly and without
warning, assumed the lead and made a
! terrific attack on the Liberal govern
ment. He was hailed then as a man
, VI lSluS power, anu three years laIeT
l his uncle. Lord Salisbury then Prime
Minister. took his nephew into the
cabinet without protest. He filled
several minor places in the ministry
and in 1891 became First Lord of the
Treasury and assumed the leadership
of the Conservative party in the Com
mons.
When Gladstone was returned to
power in 1892 he became the leader of
he Onr0SiriOu
power in 1895. and seven years later he
succeeded his uncle as prime minister
and held thar position until tn Liberal
party returned to power Since that
time he has been the acknowledged
head of his party, and as such is now
lending the forces opposed to the coali-
ton of Liberals, Laborites and Irish
Nationalists
African War Benefits Balfour
As an administrative officer in the
cabinet Mr. Balfour was highly sue
cessful- His greatest trial was during
the dark days of the South African
war England was wholly unprepared
for the struggle with Beers which as
precipitated by Englishmen who relied
too much updn their inherent superior
ity and paid too little attention to
actual conditions On the whole. IL
may be said that Mr.. Balfour came
through the ordeal the only member
of the government increased in stature
and wisdom by the events of that
humiliating period
Certainly he was most successful
when contrasted with the inefficient
Lord Lansdowne and the incOmpetent
Lord Miner When the Beer 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 fit
ness of the Cecil family to rule over
England
Not long after Balfour came TO the
the war against Free Trade by bring
ing forward his scheme for tariff re-
form The tariff question had been re-
garded as settled for half a century |
and Mr. Balfour begged the question !
Then came the revolt OF Winston |
Churchill. and the recrudescence of !
the Liberal party The Conservatives
were overthrown and the Liberals came
back into pow er with an enormous |
majority.
When the Lords forced the dissolution
of parliament last December by ignor- !
ing constitutional precedent and re- |
jecting the Budget, Mr.. Balfour was /
placed in a peculiar position Although
protesting to be House of Commons |
man." he was compelled to go back on 1
the record OF his speeches for so years |
and take up the cudgels in behalf OF /
the lords He was forced also to |
adopt Mr. Chamberlain's Tariff Reform /
scheme.
Attempts Strnddling Policy
He fought through the ensuing gen
eral election campaign in q mastery |
fashion, although 1t was plainly to be (
seen that ne had no heart for the
tariff Reform program upon which he +
was forced TO base his hopes Of sue
cess. His speeches in the campaign
are monumental examples of how not
to say it" But Mr.. Balfour was
nightly in earnest in the belief that /
the ruling classes in England must be
confirmed in their political privileges.
He was earnest in the belief that
democracy means ruin, and that any
attempt to disturb the relation be-
tween property and government is to
invite anarchy and chaos And because
he believed these things the Tories
followed him gladly.
Mr. BalfOuT Is a Celt He never has
been anything but a Scotchman. and I
Scotchman viii he be to the end, but
his Celtic blood tells most in his love
for controversial theology and good
game of golf. When it comes to poll
tics he is an Englishman and a Cecil.
and he believes. as did his uncle that
it is the peculiar business of the
Cecil family TO regulate the affairs of
the British Empire
TomorrOw-XIX, David LIoyd-George