New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-03-16
London. February s.

public. II is like diplomacy. So long
as things go well you hear nothing:
the moment a scandal occurs IL is
olazed all over London. which means
all over the world. Or il is like an En-
ecutiVe session of the United States
Senate, the secrets Of which every Sen
ator is under an obligation Of honor not
to reveal: and yet is rather more fully
reported than those held in the light Of
DAY London clubs take turns in con-
rlbutins 10 the amusement of London.
and to-day ii is the turn of the Reform
Club. A candidate for membership pro-
posed or supported by two Cabinet
Ministers has been blackballed and the
TWO Cabinet Ministers have resigned.
and all clubland is in connection
The Ministers who have resigned are
Mr.. Winston Churchill and Mr.. Lloyd
George. The candidate whom the club
declined 10 elect is Baron de Forest.
the happy possessor of the millions left
by the late Baron Hirsch. SO notorious
were the financial exploits Of Baron
Hirsch that every golden sovereign Of
these many millions might well enough
he stamped Non Oict But Baron de
Forest has made q career and place
for himself. and is in no wise respon-
sible for Baron Hirsch's proceedings
He is liberal. in good and regular
standing. and is believed 10 be one Of
the most liberal contributors 20 the
Liberal party fund Why. then. should
he bo piled by q Liberal Club
one answer is that the Reform is no
longer a Liberal Club. As political
headquarters Il has been. or is by way
Of being. superseded by the National
Liberal Club, which is frankly Radical
and peopled by Radicals Of an extreme
type Mr.. Lloyd George is one Of its
high priests. and the club gave him
dinner lately at which his views about
land-not a scheme. he says-wcre
commended 10 the party as the new
gospel which the party was to accept.
In so far ms the Reform is still Liberal.
IL belongs 10 the moderate wing. II
there be still a moderate wing - a
party which exists 10 do immodcrate
things. With "A body Of that kind the
recommendation Of Mr.. LLOYD George
and Mr. Churchill nigh, not much help
candidate.
But the people who know everything
London is filed with thom-tell YOU
that the Reform club has Of late years
opened Is doors wide to men who were
not Liberals. or who did not wish To-
join from any political motive, but
from social motives. They are a mi
uorty. but minority has tremendous
power in a club which elects new mem
hers not by the committee bat by %
general vote. one blackball I'm ten eX-
Cludcs 4 minority of one-tcnth rules.
or may rule. the club. or rules II so far
as the election Of new members is con-
cerned. This is by no means the FIRST
case in which they have exercised their
power They are bent on becoming A
majority. They wish At any rate. =
remove from the club the stigma Of a
Liberalism which now means Radicrl-
ism. They might have chosen TO ex.
clude Baron dc Forest had ne been
other than the proffQ@ OF Mr. Churchill
and Mr.. George But Mr.. Churchill
and Mr.. George have chosen TO take
his rejection as a personal affront. md
have resigned from the club. II was a.
first alleged that Mr.. Lewis HarcOurt.
Secretary of State for the Colonies. had
also resigned for the same reason. but
this is now denied. Other members, as
yet unnamed, are believed 10 have re-
signed or to be about 10 resign. At any
rate. in the cool yellow marble halls II
the Reform Club tempest RACES.
There is talk Of general mcetiag:
which is much as If the Great Powers
of Europe should once more assemble
in Berlin Congress. Sir Edward Grey
was said 10 desire such a conference;
as he did. and unhappily said he did,
when Austria annexed Bosnia and Her
nexation as an accomplished fact with
out any Conference at all. But Sir Ed
ward Grey. il is now stated. is not a
member Of the Reform club Rumors Of
many kinds. as you see. go floating
about. They always do in such crises.
and sometimes involve even higher per-
sonages than a Foreign Minister.
a club is. by its constitution and by
the very nature Of its being, demo-
cratic body; unless it happens 10 be
proprietary club, and even then it is
governed by n committee Of members.
There are always members who exist
in order 10 keep out other members.
They may act independently or they
may form a clique. But in the election
of new members the principles Of de-
mocracy are set aside. Not the major
ity but the minority rule Whether the
election be by general ballot or by the
committee. il is still minority which
rules The committee is a minority.
There have avs been scandals.
There have been cases where the
wishes Of Royalty itself, often all pow
erful in social matters, have been dis
regarded. The late King did his best to
secure the admission Of Sir Thomas
Upton to the club known as the Royal
Yacht Squadron. He failed. AT the
Marlborough Club. which. as Prince of
Wales. he practically founded. which