Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-12-07
LORD LANSDOWNE,
ENGLISH "JUNKER"
Personality of Statesman Whose
Thunderbolt Peace Letter
Reused a Storm
UToRp LANsDowNE's carriage block

This blunt utterance of the Daily Mail char
actsrized the attitude, defined the policy and
searchingly revealed the personality of Brit
aims premier Tory peer when, with other con-
servative ex-members of the coalition cabinet,
he threw an unexpected and insuperable OBJ
stacle across the path of progress of the
home rule bill. In August 1916, the world
believed that settlement of the issues between
Redmondltcs and Carsonites had been reached.
The Lansdowne coterle insisted on insertion
of the so-called "wreclting clause" negatv
Ing the original agreement that kept Irish
strength undiminished In Commons until the
end of the war opened the way to permanent
disposition of the home rule question. Nego-
tiations were off
The Marquis of Lansdowne following his
traditional bent, had turned unity to dIsrup-
tion Decision home rule is stn In abey-
ance
VIII Lord Lansdowne's carriage block the
way to unity of action in winning the war?
or, rather, in the British attitude toward
peace won by the verdict of victory on the
battlefeld--a safe. complete and enduring
peace?
"Pacifsm," Not "Peace"
His peace letter is not a peace letter it is
pacifsm letter. Like n Hohenzollern-h hurried
thunderbolt it rent the skies of Entente
solidarity Of aim and achievement II
crashed suddenly; momentarily 1t stunned
British, II not Allied, statesmanship. The
noble lord called for revision of the Allies
aims and an attempt to secure peace
before "the prolongation of the war leads to
the ruin of the civilized world" It's fervent
plea would have represented n magnificent
ideal if only the Allies were not prolonging
the war to prevent the ruin of the civilized
world
Plainly the eminent conservative, the party
boss" of the Unonsts In the House of Lords,
has misread the significance of this war
Whatever racial. economic or diplomatic
causes may have started the confagration
the purifying flame has refined away all the
dross of selishness and ACKNOWLEDGMENT and
left the pure metal of a lofty purpose. That
exalted ideal is TO make the world safe for
democracy. as President Wilson defined what
we are fighting for, and more--it is to make
civilization safe for the world and the world
safe for civilization. Yet Lord Lansdowne
has seen in all the ideals and all the sacrifices
only the ruin of civilization. The ruin OF
civilization must be prevented even at the
price OF losing ClFlnzdtlOn ne says III eie't'
Let opportunism and compromise not victory
for right, justice and world safety, write the
| treaty, the always astounding. always stand
pat peer argues.
Lord Lansdownes proposal, through force
OF circumstances Is giving aid and comfort
TO the enemy Whatever its humanitarian
inspirat ton, its practical effect is no less than
the urging of a conditional SURRENDER Inc
German press interprets II as peace reel
er" from an exhausted England. The British
press generally agrees 1t is ill-adViseh ana
dsruptive at n time when really mli,'an.
| England should stand with solid 'front.' 70
prussianism The American press taxes its
essence OF agreement with the canons Oh
peace set forth in the Presidents reply 10
the Pope as tribute to America 8 "ai ~ -s'',
hut regrets it's premature forcing OF the pe"e0
issue when is the only real issue'
The Self-Interest of 1t All
| His urging In ultimate analysis seems not
| so much salvaging the world FOR ciVihha'ion
as saving caste and estates Tor aris'ocracy'
when the world is swinging to universal ue-
noracy His record of reaction includes
lifelong opposition to home rule oespite tne
fact that he is born lrishman ana 'nat ne
owns $4,000 acres In seven lrlsh counties
| territorial greed in the Boer War. during
which he was Secretary of state Tor war
vigorous battle for the preservation OF the
| vast landed estates, of which he Is one OF
| the largest landlords. being the only peer IN
Burke who owns big areas In all three uiNl-
sions of the United hihsuoii Ehsi"'' "N'
land and Ireland .
| Se,f.interest summed up in safeguarding
| his titles and his possessions and poh'ical
| career in defending his class against the en-
| croachments of liberalism, align the Marquis
| ~ Jansdowne in spirit with the German
| Iurl,ers All the outmoded philosophy of
| aristocracy and autocracy which the worid Is
| consigning to the scrap heap is personiheu III
| this veteran Conservative statesman no"
| seyenty-three years old and just as unex-
/
| comes out for a Bolshevik peace radically
| separated as his thoughts, feelings and I'M
| uulses are from those Of the REDS in Petro-
| grad.
| II is as IL George r Baer, who promulgated
| the un-American theory of the divine r'ght
| Of the coal barons, supported tactics or the
l. w. w to buttress his doctrines In
| moment of menace.
Scion of Hundred Earls
| Henry Charles Keith Petty-Fitzmaurice
literally fulnls the definition Of the scion or
| a hundred earls He Is the nobiary legatee
| Of three earldoms, Kerry Shelburne and wy
| combe He is chief Of the Clan Maurice. His
| barony Of Kerry and Lixnaw runs back to
| 1881 He is fifth Marquis of Lansdowne, by
| creation of 1884 His degrees and knight
| hoods nearly deplete the alphabet for initials
| 10 stand after his name He Is the prime
| exemplar of the extreme and waning Tory
| wing of the Conservatives, the czar of the
| Unionist peers the party WHIP VINO spurs
| them TO action and furnishes the brains Tor
| their close corporation thinking, Even their
| caucuses are held at his historic and mag
| nifcent London mansion Lansdowne House.
| Beneath his velvet glove Is a hand as iron
| as that Of the Kaiser. He IL suave, yet frigid,
an adroit debater, master OF irony and
| sarcasm.
| Lord Lansdownes public career has been
varied He has been honored with all the
big posts the governor generalship of Can
ada the vice royalty of India, the war port
folio. the Secretaryship of State for Foreign
Affairs He would have been Premier but for
the Unionist debacle of 1906 His construc-
tive craftsmanship Is comprised In the Anglo
Japanese treaties and the promotion OF the
entente cordiale between France and England
in Edwards reign. His reactonary destruc-
| tiyeress is being expunged from the law
| haols az the world grows wiser and more