The Cordova daily times., 1916-07-22
HAS
 1 SUDDENiR|SE ] T0--FANEl

dom in the recent history of English ; speaking peoples, and perhaps never in the memory of Britain, has any politician almost unknown to the gen eral public made SO swift q conquest of the Imagination and enthusiasm of the masses as William Morris Hughes, the prime minister of Australia. Only the sudden achievement of William J. Bryan after his Grown of Thorns, and Cross of gold" speech before the Chicago convention twenty years ago gives a pareiiel in America.
 Last year Hughes was unknown to the United Kingdom as a colonial | premier, one of list of overseas statesmen or politicians, with Borden, Fisher. Laurier and Ward, men whose names are familiar to Englishmen, whose personalities are merely vague shadows in the public mind. These colonial leaders always were treated with formal respect when they visited | the Mother Country. A few public dinners and receptions perhaps knighthood, a decoration and a uni versity degree were given them. But outside the official world a general who had conducted one of Englan d little wars" or an explorer who had written some new names across the the map, was more of parsonage.
 Now the story of Hughes is the story of the most interesting civilian of the year in England. The self made Yankee-like Welshman, the self schooled workingman; protectionist labor unionist, Socialist, is now leav- ing the old country after a visit of four months, and Is leaving popular following comparable only to that commanded by another self-made politician, Lloyd George.
 The oratorical output of the Aus tralian prime minister has compared favorably with the efforts of an Am erican presidential candidate of the most heroic stuff The number of ad- dresses, large and small, which the newspapers have reported stretch well over a hundred. At Liverpool, Man chester, Edinburgh and other great provincial cities, such crowds have welcome his arrival as few public men in civil life have seen since the famous electioneering tours of Clad stone during his most popular years. He has made speeches before every type of public and private organiza- tion from municipal bodies through the various strata of scholastic and charitable societies. In the same week he responded to the bestowal of the freedom of a Conservative muni- cipality (handed him in gold cas- ket), greeted societies of Welshmen, received a degree from a university. stirred to enthusiasm a meeting of dock laborers on the Thames, and gained kid gloved applause from a committee to peeresses engaged in war work
 The Hughes platform, roughly put, has been this: War to the hilt against the Germans, both on the bat tlefield and in the field of trade Com mercial union within the British em- pire, and closer union with share for the colonies of making decisions on imperial questions that concern them"
 The reason 8 colonial statesman could become a leader almost over night in the Mother Country was that there were currents of thought, and agitations, which were waiting for leadership. They wanted only a spokesman They had advocates in the newspapers, but not among the weighty men in parliament, or in pub lie life outside Westminster. While the war has enormously changed and focused the work of the government, and rallied and brought together much of the latent power in slow moving people, it has not changed the tone of statesman ship, nor the conservatism with which the heavy guns of the coa- lition cabinet cling to what they deem the high traditions of British public life. They have denounced the pres ent enemies of the country, but have denounced them with dignity and with care to avoid what they would con slider exaggeration. Many burnipg patriosts accuse the government of handling vital matters too delicately. The up-to-date newspapers read by millions. notably the Northcliffe press, assert that mysterious influences work