Evening star., 1914-11-22

LONDON. November IL, 1914.
- NE of the miner tragedies of
the great European war is the
fate of John Burns, Honest
John, the English laboring
man. who became a cabinet
minister, and who, in the moment of
crisis was big enough to place his con-
science above his job and his salary.
However much we may disagree with
Burns-and the writer is afraid there
are few in this country who now agree
with him-one cannot help but admire
the way he has come through perhaps
the hardest test to which man in his
circumstances can be subjected.
Rather than compromise with his
convictions. he threw away his posi-
tion as a cabiriet minister, his salary
of $4,000 a year, an enormous one
from the viewpoint of a man of his
antecedents, and endangered, if he did
not sacrifice. his whole political future.
Burns was one of the three cabinet
ministers-the other two being Lord
Morley and George Trevelyan-who,
at the outbreak of war, resigned their
positions because they disagreed with
the policy of the government Just
how serious this disagreement was, or
what point it turned, il is impos-
Sible for the moment to say because
no one has succeeded in drawing any
of the trio. There have been all kinds
of rumors about, but these are only
guessWork.
Here is the story which is going
round the political clubs about Burns
resignation 1t is that he expected, as
did his two colleagues, who made their
protest against tle war by resigning
that having placed themselves on rec
ord as pacifists they would be invited
10 reconsider their resignation This
Is what happened in the case of the
other two ministers, and Lord Morley
only persisted in his resignation on
the ground Of his extreme age Burns
however. was not given the chance to
reconsider and was left out in the cold
Ihere is no doubt that Mr. Asquith
IN. prim" minister. and Burns never
Bl He'd together. Burns was not as
Iuith.s selection He was appointed
president OF the local government
hoard with a seat in the cabinet by As
Guiths predecessor. the late Sir Henry
Campbell BannerInan. who had a great
admiration for Burns real executive
ability and sterling honesty. Burns.
how ever, was never enough of a diplo-
matist TO get on with Asquith, the highly
trained lawyer, and the most consum-
mate master OF politics of his time
From the very day when ASquith be-
ann. premier the eclipse of Burns be-
gan. Before that he was always in
the lnIelig!.t. Under "C,-B" Burns
WAS in constant demand at all the
big political gatherings as one of the
star speakers and very effective
speaker he was. When Asquith took
control of the liberal party Burns was
uo longer starred and he practically
disappeared from the political stage.
Ehen III his own constituency of Bat
Jersea. where he is still idolized by the
r' 'ople. he was heard only the an
nlIal occasion in which English custom
demands that minister OF parliament
snail render account of his doings
To his constituents. He carefully re-
trained from expressing any opinions
on the first issues for which his party
was fiEhting and he Is known to have
oppressed himself on one or two occa-
sjons IN contemptuous terms about some
- the partys window dressing" and
measures.
From the dawn of the Asquith day Burns
buried himself in his work as chief OF
the local government board, and both
his friends and foes agree that no one
has ever done it better. He walked up
the sleepy permanent officials and for
the first time in their lives convinced
a lot of government servants that they
really were expected to work. He root