The Irish standard., 1913-03-22
LEADERS VARY IN
THEIR FORTUNES
One Moment Holding Tremendous
Power, Next Removed
from Triumphs.
The Position of Lloyd-Georoe Fur
The Position of Lloyd-George Fur
nishes Example of Sud-
den Shift.
Home Rule Appealed to Him From
the First Time He Heard
Michael Davitt.

l recur to my statement, SO often
repeated. that politicians vary in their
fortunes from hour to hour, says Il. 2.
O'Connor in his London cable letter
to the Chicago Tribune of March 10.
At one moment they are in the full
sunshine of popularity and in the en-
joyment apparently Of tremendous
power: the next they arc removed
from the public gaze and for the mo-
| ment their power seems to have dis
appeared. Tho world, which is not q
very keen and often not very char
| liable judge of human character, es-
pecially among public men, varies its
verdict according to the change in the
conditions, although the man remains
the same, and applauds or Kisses him
in strict accord with the place he holds
in the public eye.
Every politician has to pass through
| such experiences, and man never
ought to be In public life at all who
is not prepared to confront and laugl,
at these vicissitudes. both in his posi-
tion and in his reputation. Again.
public men, by the accidents Of for
tune, are at one moment doing the
very. Bit of of work for which they are
best suited by their intellectual gifts
and by their temperament; and the
nexL hour accident may throw them
into posts for which they have no in
clination, and no special gift.
I / remember such IL moment in the
career OF the late Sir Charles Dixie
When first he entered official life, he
was under secretary for forign affairs:
there never was Il man better fitted
to an Office. He had Travelled all over
the world; he had studied the politics
OF almost every nation; ne had almost
as many friends among the statesmen
on the continent as among those of
his own country: he spoke French like
Frencfnlan: he could pick up any
language in "A short tine and forget
it in a short time: he learned Rus
sian, for instance, in few weeks,
|'enough to go on with, and he forgot
1t in few weeks When he had to
answer questions in the House OF
| Commons, he could do so as no man
ever did before or since, saying just
enough and no more. and very often
managing to use language to conceal
| thought, a Very necessary gift in u
foreign minister. Then there was a
vacancy in the cabinet; Dixie got the
place; the place WAS the local gov
ernment board. ''How do YOU like
your new Office" ] asked him a few
days later. "1 hate It," he said with
the utmost feeling.
Lloyd Georges Fortunes Vary.
All these obans are preliminary to a
discussion OF the position of Lloyd
George. Out of the public eye and for
some months he seemed to have been
| the architect Of electoral disaster. His
insurance act was denounced in every
term of opprobrium: an active press
campaign was conducted against him:
every act Of mendacity and misrepre-
sentatlon was employed against him
and against the act and appeals were
made to the folly and Tie bascr pas
sions OF humanity.
Workingmen called upon for the
first time in the history of the coun
try to pay present money for prospec-
tive advantages. We're begged to rise
in revolt: and such an appeal might
we'll be listened to. for who wishes to
part with money today in order to
gain some advantages years hence:
The great medical profession threw
itself at the same time into the in
famous campaign, organized strike
along the whole line. And one bye.
election was fought after another on
the insurance act alone and on the
gigantic misrepresentation Of it's ef-
fects which had been so industriously
organized. And one bye-election fol-
lowed another with defeat of the
liberal candidate.
1t looked as if the days of the lib.
eral ministry were counted and tories
1