New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-09-07
Unionist Leaders
AND LOST AND WHY tn OF POWER Is ON THE
RADICAL - " "
Copyright 1913. by George W sm.r.v,

! lhouSht better To avoid that Both Mr..
/ chamberlain and Mr.. Long are men of
/ public spirit, capable OF preferring the
/ interests Of the party as whole TO
their own interests: and did prefer
them The claims, 10 use d SLANG word.
or either were far superior to Mr..
Laws, Dir. Austen Chamberlain has
I the advantage and also the disad-
vantage, Of being the son of his father.
/ The disadvantage he has lived down
lie has made place for himself on his
/ own merits, In most respects curl
| ously unlike his father ne has had the
/ good sense TO rely on his own qualities,
and not on imitation always mis-
/ take and always Impossible Il is on
/ the business side that he most resem-
hleS his father He has been good
/ administration at the Admiralty, where
he was Civil Lord, 1895 1000; at the
/ Treasury, Of which he was Financial
/ Secretary, 10000; at the Postofice as
/ Postmaster General. l902-02; and
finally at the Treasury again as Chan
cellor Of the EXchequer. which means
/ head OK the Treasury and chief finan-
| Cial officer Of the Government.
= Presently. by dint OF much practice,
/ he became a good speaker, Wholly
| lacking in the imaginative gifts and
real eloauence Of his father, he never
theless showed himself lucid. logical.
/ effective. He has been twenty-one
/ years in the House; growing in each
| one Of those years better man. He
would lead his party and, when the
/ time came. the House, with good sense,
| frmness. discretion. competent knowl-
I edge. but without that touch of inspira
! ton al critical moments which ali great
! leaders have had. II is supposed that
! IN a new Unionist Ministry he might go
/ back 10 his old post as Chancellor OF
/ the Exchequer; Tor which his compe-
tence WAS never questioned.
| The Treasury would welcome him.
/ They have had enough and much more
/ than enough Of the present Chancellor,
whose knowledge OF finance Is elemen-
/ tary Mr. LLOYD George has the CON
/ hdence neither of his Department nor
/ of the City. They do not think him
man of business The Marconi scan
dals have brought on him not only
censure but ridiCuie He escaped the
condemnation Of the House by Il spe-
cal pleading sort Of apology for his in
discretion: on which the Prime Minis
/ ter insisted. Then. little later, ne
went down to the National Liberal
/ Club, and, amid the fumes of wine and
! tobacco and partisa cheers, In n
/ speech Of the old Limehouse pattern,
/ retracted his apology: in effect II not
+ in terms. Having obtained the Irice
he repudiates the bargain. Such is Mr..
/ Lloyd Georges sense Of honor in public
/ life The chastity Of honor which
feels stain ike a wound" is not his.
. Nor would Mr.. Walter Long have
/ been an inspiring leader His feet are
always on the solid earth Against Mr..
Chamberlain's twenty-one years Of
( Parliamentary life he has thirty-three
/ 10 his score for Vacious constituencies.
He has been President of the Local
Government BOARD. President Of the
/ Board Of Agriculture and Chief Secre-
tary for Ireland. Essentially a prac-
/ teal man. a downright straightforward
man, whom everybody likes and trusts.
/ The House likes and trusts him and
would follow him where he chose TO
/ lead; which would probably be along
the ancient ways and by well tredden
! paths; with no excursions into the un-
known or experimental. lie has a
good natured hluntnecs Of speech
whether in The House or on the plat
form. II Is the oratory of prose. What
would happen 10 him or TO Mr.. Cham
berlain in competition with he con-
centrated astuteness OF the present
Ministerial Front Bench ! had rather
not predict, except that in mere as
tutenes5 ere would 90 no competition
at all.
There Is perhaps no one else among
the Front Bench Unionists who has
are TWO very interesting men. whom
circumstances might presently bring
into a strong Parliamentary light |
wrote the other day Of Sir Edward
Carson as, at this moment the most
arresting figure in public life by virtue
OF his Ulster leadership. He has since
been an object of interest as winning
counsel In the Scott Sackville case,
where against him was his colleague
in the Isaacs prosecution Of Mr.. Ches-
terton, Mr.. +. h. Smith; the other of
the two Interesting men on the Front
Bench. MIR +. T.. Smith is no more
candidate for leadership OF the House
than Sir Edward Carson, but he is the
most recent celebrity who has made
at the same time mark at tho Bar
and in the House. and has 10 some ex-
tent become known 10 the man In the
street: now the arbiter OF all fortunes
lie has on his side what is here
allied youth, being fortyone years OF
age. 4 distinguished man In the Uni
versity o. oxford, both before and after
his graduation; member for Liverpool
since 1906 a X. c. since 1908, ana
more ar less a writer Of books. He is
the counsel 10 whom Judge probably
Mr.. Justice Darling, remarked the other
V,AYt n ma