New-York tribune., 1910-11-27
Anglo-A1nerican Memories
yscouNT MoRLEy-HIs CHARACTER cAREgR-w,ru SOME
PERSONAL NOTES
Copyright. 1910. by George W. sms,,sv,

ana so divides with the great Liberal the
ihiiity for all that happened in
Ano after that fatefuI year of 1886.
0ol even before that the relations Of
ieaoer and follower had been inverted
as between Mr.. Gladstone and Mr.. Nor
ley nave heard many times from Mr.
aiacstone's friends how earlv this Singh
lar ascendency was established bava
htaro from Mr.. Gladstone himself an
estimate Of Mr.. Morley which sufficient
~ confirms common report:
Morley has not only a fuu br+ a
feruilzlng mind. I suppose in these davs
II wculd be called sympat athletic. What
ever you can 1t, he applies his mind to
yours and TO his subject in a way which
I find both persuasive and convincing
To round this out I will quote again
what Lord Harrington, the late Duke of
DeVonshire, said to me at Mentrraore
some years before Mr.. Gladstone took
his great plunge into the bottomless sea
OF Home Rule We were all sitting in
the great hall after tea Lord Harting-
&on and Mr.. Morley went off into cor
ner by themselves. and their talk lasted
for an hour I said to Lord Harrington
as we went upstairs:
You seem to get on very well with
Morley for all his radicalism.'
Yes, I do; and 1 will tell you another
thing: If there were more Radicals like
Morley there would be fewer Conserva-
tives like me-"
Which is not unlike what Victor Hugo
said to the Emperor Of Brazil as he took
his leave after the breakfast to which
the Emperor had invited him:
''Sir. I should be sorry if there were
many emperors like YOU
But why?"
Because there would then be fewer
republics"
On the platform Mr.. Morley's oratory
had a kind of welcome which the House
Of Commons withheld from him He
captivated Newcastle: in itself a tri-
umph- a hard-headed population: a
great workingmans constituency and 10
the workingmen this scholar, this re
cluse. this man Of refinements and re-
serves. knew how TO talk. He knew the
way TO their hearts because he had a
heart Of his own. When he quilted New
castle and presented himself 10 the
Montrose Burghs, the phenomenon re-
peated itself II any heads are harder
than those of Northun berland they are
the heads TO be found little nearer the
Arctic Circle in Scotland. Mr.. Morley
had sat for Newcastle for twelve years /
Montrose took him and kept him for
twelve years more.
Then. in 1908, having been Secretary
for India for three years, Mr.. Morley had
10 decide whether he would abandon
public life OF go 10 the House of Lords. /
The strain OF the House OF Commons
plus India was TOO great. He could not
go on with both. Il was thought by his
friends in the government, and probably !
by himself that II was more important
he should carry on his work in India
than in the House. If he resigned his
seat in the House of Commons he could
Secretary for India only by &C
cepting q seat in the House Of Lords !
Already the campaign against the Lords
had begun. and already Morley had Ia
ken part in IL I can ina gine il was
B1rIer 10 MIN 10 SSttIL 40 TeLOUl-Ct di-E
OF hostility TO the hereditary
privileges Of the Peers, though in SEEM
ing only But he looked at this ques-
tion. as at most questions, largely-nay,
rnperialIy-though that word is some !
times thought 70 be the monopoly Of a
school of statesmen far removed from
MS. There were criticisms. Of course, |
and. even in the humaner columns Of
British newspapers. gibes and incivili-
ties. But K was for the interest Of IN
dia and OF the empire that he should
continue to govern the huge peninsula
and continue he did
There is a great deal TO be said about
India. but not to-day What is vital to
this Ministry. or. If not vital, desirable,
IS that Lord Morley should not cease 20
be a member Of It Happily, the Minis
terial system is flexible. There are al
vays posts Of dignity without labor. or
without much labor. The Secretary Of
state for India remains a member Of the
Cabinet and becomes Lord President of
the Council. The office was once the
highest in the Ministry. II is still al
most of the highest rank and precedence.
7. ord Morley will not have less weight in
co11ncil than before and he will go in to
dinner before all his colleagues except
the Lord High Chancellor and the Prime
Minister and before all the rest Of the
peera ge Y. W. .