The Irish standard., 1911-01-28

again the gigantic Importance of the
House of Lords issue will enforce dis
cip1ine.
All sections of the coalition and
even the Laborites may agree to al
low the preamble to pass as pious
opinion. The creation of the new
peers to swamp the lords is receding
every hour to the more remote dis.
lance.
l have just returned from a brief
visit in Ireland. I found everybody
there in exuberant spirits, partly be-
cause of the recent events and the ap-
proach of Home Rule, and partly be-
cause of the immense triumphs over
the O'Brien-Healy factlonists.
All of the Liberals are equally op-
t;mistic and, in short, the new SEES
sion of Parliament opens in higher
hopes than for any time since the
Gladstone and Parnell settlement for
every Irish problem.
When it came to the choice Of Office
after the return of Campbell-Banner-
man to power, Winston showed his
usual sense of dramatic fitness and
opportunity to closing the post of lin
himself put his choice In character
istic language when he described it as
enabling him to keep in close touch
with Mr.. Chamberlain" Everybody
in politics knows that one of the very
best ways for a young politician to
get that notoriety which is the first
trump in the game of politics is for
the young politician 20 attack or get
in close touch with some great politi-
cal figure. Winston did not long keep
in close touch with Chamberlain, as
illness removed him from the firing
line very soon after Winston took
Office. But all the same Winston's
choice of Office was soon justified, for
it placed him in the most prominent
and passionate of the political issues
of the hour-namely, the problems of
South Africa, including those of China
labor and of the grant Of full self
government to the Beers. Every eve
ming for years Winston had to stand
the fierce interrogations from the
Tory benches, to reply to all kinds of
violent attacks, and to fight, in short,
for the policy of the government on
its most assaulted point above and be-
three years Of this apprenticeship
were over, Winston was already a
great public character, and his par
liamentary position was made.
Churchill Man Of Action.
To understand this remarkable
young mans character you must I'm.
derstand that while he is a literary
man to his finger tips, he is above
and beyond all man of action. Great
literary gifts and great intellectual
power have often in politics associat'
ed with great temperamental defects
| have known men Of political genius
who were almost feminine in their
personal weakness-pettish, narrow
jealous and in hours of danger and
distress timid and irresolute One OF
the fundamental facts Of political life
is that temperament tells as much and
perhaps even more than sheer intel
lect. In the French revolution the
only man perhaps who had tempera.
ment as we'll as genius was Mirabeau
Robespierre was alone independent,
the Able Sieyes, the finest mind of
them all, was coward, and so was
Tallyrand, one of the most marvellous
political geniuses that ever lived.
Churchill has temperament. He is
of extraordinary physical courage.
have heard that said over and over
again by men who were by his side
during the South African war. Once
it may be remembered he was in a
train that was attacked by the Beers
and although as a newspaper cores.
take part in the fighting and did so at
the risk of his life not merely during
but after the battle. he took up his
gun without hesitation and was one
of the most active Of the combatants.
Similarly his escape from Pretoria
after his capture was carried out under
every condition of deadly peril, but
he saw the immense chance in so dra.
matte an escape and faced the risks
In conversation with me once he laid
down his theory Of fighting. 1t was
as startling in spirit as we'll as pic.
4 turesque in it's language. 1t was that
man should fight for the day, not
/ counting cost or risk, careless wheth
er he lived or died, forgetful of the
4 morrow. And he held perhaps not