The Washington herald., 1911-11-25
DUKE OF DEVONSHIRE"
BARES POLITICAL LIFE

One gets the impression of Bernhard
Hollands Life of the Duke OF Devon
shire that there is a great deal more CO.
hesion among political parties to-day than
there was half a century ago. Between the
fall of Sir Robert Peel and the first pre-
miership OF Gladstone parlIamentarians
and parties continually were at logger
heads and no leader could make sure
of holding his adherents together for
many months in succession. Factions
were springIng up necessarily TO defeat
ministers.
Disraelrs worst foes were of his own
political household. Palmerston was not
more disliked or distrusted by anybody
in the commons than was Gladstone.
This state OF things was terminated by
the ascendency which Gladstone, on one
side, and Disraeli on the other, acquired
over their parties toward the end OF the
sos of last century.
But it was the Introduction Of new
methods Of organization a few years
later by Mr. Schnadhorst that prevented
a relapse into the old order OF things.
To that great engineer Britain owes the
conversion of political parties into set
of cast-iron machines which go on grind
ing remorselessly year in year out, like
Mr.. Hitchcock's steam roller" in the
last Presidential campaign here, except
for an accidental breakdown now and
then, or an occasional tussle for the con-
troll of the levers and steering gear.
The plums have been picked out by the
daily press Of the Life Of the Duke of
Devonshire," so that there is little left
to be said about the above-quoted book.
The duke had many admirable qualities
and on occasion even was able to show
a sort of funereal humor. But he was
not a witty man, and the heavier the
subject he had to handle, whether in
public or private, the heavier it grew
under his handling. The result is that
interminable masses Of his correspon-
dence. mainly on public affairs, variegat
ed by extracts from his speeches, make
rather dull reading. a.,
There is something almost pathetic
in the life story of the Duke of Devon
shire, as We now see him. He appears
as a victim offered up quite voluntarily
on the altar of public duty, Until years
Of uncongenial drudgery had been made
political business a habit, we see him
continually foregoing his natural tastes
and inclinations from a sense of the
responsibility of his position. Though
he had great abilities, intellectual exer-
ton was hateful to him. He never had
any taste for reading and he remained
all his days strangely ignorant about
very common subjects which had not
come his way. His biographer says
that to the end Of HIS days it was
torment to him to compose a speech.
1t was years before he could bring him
self to attend the House Of Commons
at all regularly, so distastefuI was the
atmosphere to him. and everybody knows
that he always had difficulty of keeping
himself awake when he was there.
Paradoxical though 1t may seem, II Is
probably true that all this had a great
deal to do with the Duke OF Devonshire's
influence with his fellow-politicians and
with the public. It was obvious that the
man didn't care particle about politics.
Mr.. Holland compares the duke-by the
way In those days he was not . duke at
all, but plain Lord Hartington-w1th
Parneli, another Of the leading figures in
the great home rule battle OF 1886 He
says that the opposing force centers in
that, fight were not so much Harrington
and Gladstone as Harrington and Charles
Stewart ParneIL These two men, 50
man didn't care particle about palitics.
opposed in politics. resembled each other
In temperament Tar more than either