New-York tribune., 1911-11-26
Washington. November Il

Washington. November Is.
Concerning Mr. Balfour's resignation
of the Conservative leadership there are
two or three things TO be said before
even those personal memories which are
nv real subject. This. first of all, that
the one great act Of decision in mis- pub
lie life is an act of suicide. Secondly,
that he has led the Conservative party
during all these recent crises with an
excess Of prudence; led it with less cour-
age and foresight than were desirable;
led Il often into the bypaths of politics
when a broad. straight road lay plain
before him. Nevertheless, his retire
ment. il it be indeed a withdrawal and
not q f1uSSe Sortic. is calamity the dis
sstrous consequences Of which are i'm
measurable.
Irresolute as he has been. there is no
one to replace him. Mr.. Bonar Law is
an able man Of business, with a great
knowledge Of fiscal and economical ques-
tons. but with little experience Of Par
lament and none at all Of leadership.
Il becomes leader at a moment when
all the resources Of the most experienced
Parliamentarian will be needed to fight
Home Rule and other measures Of Rev
olution. imminent in the House Of COM
mons. and AIr Law has none Of hem.
Nr. Balfour has them all, and il the
most critical hour Of his party's Ii e re-
signs He delivers over his party and
his cause. with the Union Of the three
kingdoms ar issue. II is not, Of course,
a betrayal. but it is a surrender. Suu,
any leader is better than none. and for
most Parliamentary purposes Mr. Bal
four has no superior and no equal Mr..
As7uith. in words which DO him honor
and are but a just tribute TO his only
rival and only superior. described him as
u most distinguished member Of the
greatest deliberative body in the world,
II il is no longer the greatest delibera-
rsv- body in the world it is because Mr.
AsGuith has substituted the gag and the
ruiIotine for deliberaUOn. and the
closure stiles debate. Reason the more
since the situation is more difficult, why
Mr.. Balfour should have stood by his
party. If ever he had had in him the
real spirit Of leadership this is the last
moment he would have chosen TO desert
But he has in him all the gifts leader
ought TO have except the gift Of leader
ship.
That he has had every provocatior
must he admitted. but is he the first
party chief whose followers have beer
disloyaI or mutinous? His business was
TO coerce them. TO lead and not be led,
10 sacrifice every personal feeling no
matter how just. TO the party and the
cause.
But as I have begun on this uncon-
genial subject I will go a little way into
the inner history Of it and say what I
believe 10 be the true, original and per-
haps final cause Of his decision.
A woman is the cause. Not in the
usual sense, but in the sense that a
woman has led the attack on him, and
that. but for her, the cabal against Mr..
Balfour might never have grown strong
enough 70 drive him from his post No
opposition has been so damaging to him
as the opposition Of The Morning Post" >"
and The Morning Post is Lady Bath
urst / dislike to mention her name,
but how otherwise can the truth be told?
The Countess Bathurst is the daughter
Of Lord Glenesk, who was Sir Algernon
Borthwick and a journalist Of unexam-
pied genius He made this paper the
great power it is and bequeathed it 10
his daughter. Lady Bathurst does not,
Of course. edit or manage it, but she con-
trolls IL and is absolute master there
when she chooses 10 be. If any woman
were equal 10 such duty she would he
equal a woman of rare qualities, Of an
intelligence. a courage. a knowledge OF
public affairs. a patriotic sense of duty,
q capacity for great things which all
men who know her acknowledge and ad-
nre. as they do her charm Of charac-
ter But she is a woman, with a
voman's impulses and emotions and
with the readiness o. a woman 70 be
governed. and 20 govern other people. by
impuI Ises and emotions; and she inter
vened in grave affairs which are essen
tally the affairs Of men and not Of
women
There were other causes than the one
on which I have dwelt. It is not neces-
sary 20 distribute these responsibilities
automatically. But it is safe TO say
that the unrelenting antagOnism Of a
journal so powerful as the one which
Lady Bathurst owns and sometimes di-
reefs was enough 10 turn the scale.
Early in the agitation for Tariff Re
form she became a convinced Tariff Re
former. and convinced that Tariff Re-
form was the one paramount issue Of
politics Mr. Balfours mind moved
slowly on that matter; or slowly toward
the conversion he ultimately announced,
and 20 his acceptance of this proposal as
an article Of party faith. His mind Is,
On most questions. subject 10 philosophic
doubt. He was born a Free Trader. 1t
Is thought doubtful whether he ever
went heartily and wholly over to the
other doctrine. Certain IL is that he was
long In coming about. he shivered in the
bleak wind Of fierce controversy; and If
finally he swung round on the other tack
he laid his new course uncertainty.
Lady Bathurst was impatient;-was
/. there ever woman who was not?
When she wanted a thing. she wanted il,
and al once. The criticisms OF The
Morning Post" on Mr.. Balfour We're in
csssant: and they took the form Of re-
p'oaches, sometimes Of invective. and
often Of rebuke IL is a great party
organ and WAS attacking its own marty