Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-09-27

pass, IN me pope fasst fnis Esy he one
grsst eiemeu- o. Sscuk1fT Sszdng u
Ereaser iuserAsxinnxi sssG ~ia ~ The
hspa6esf pnmffae fnaiG-.
Visepnnt Edward Grey FORMER
Brfriaa Minister for foreign Affairs.
the newly zppo1ntef HrEish Anbas-
sador 20 Washington. one % lne
most conspicuons 6gnres In British
public life. IL known cniedy by the
diplomatic e0ur.s ne made 10 avert
the worsf was an6 ny the fact that
when ne tailed, and the conflict be-
came snernxb3e. he insisted Great
Britain could NO. win honor remain
out OF -
John Moraer, the historian saif Of
Grey - years sgo- Ihnt Yoans
man Wi go far. He w.fp be Prime
Minister 81 England some Gay
Gladstone ssi6 Grey might rs any
thing he chose-sbut that Ing chose
70 80 fishing"
yisopaant Grey II FaIioasn. . title
to which iae Wac eierated in 1f1E, was
horn April %. 1867. the son Of Cap
Northumberland" from whose father
me lnnerited a baruneicy- Before
the wsr he was known as an artistic
cratic democrat. q 'isilent pilot Of
British dipiomacy," and the greatest
living authority On 6y-casting. Clad
stone, earring his Illusion further.
said of him IN mis- early days in the
House Of Commons I never knew IN
q man such aptitude fer political life
and such disincisnztion for IL" Ils-
count Grey. according 70 the British
Who's Who" rs the author Of only
one took Il il entitled Fly Fishing
When Theodore Roosevelt 73ssae6 the
Yis.zoun-- instead Of talking world
politics they went On foot journey
through rural England 70 s.a6y Eng
1isn bi.d Life. On which Fiscpnnt Grey
lie sn authority Il Roosevelt was On
American bird HE.
The career Of the man, WING Of al
other Bri.ons, II has been said. was
most cordially hated by me Germans
because he nncezE3nglr advocated
Engiand's entrance into the war for
the preservation Of the neutrality Of
Belgium, was quite unlike that Of
almost every other man II British
puofic life. ne lie not lawyer. In
fact, when he became Cn6sr Ssc-e-
tsry Of State for Foreign Affairs n
1872. q position he held for three
years. he was Chairman Of the board
q directors Of rhs Northeastern
Railway.
Educated at winchesier. and
Baniol College. OXFORD. the prosper
tiye yiseornt was elected Liberal
member from Berwick Tweed 10
The House q Commons az TIE age Of
% and had been repeatedly Reelected
from 1885 10 1916 when he sas made
q peer. An athlete at college, he won
the Queens Glib and other champion
tennis prizes. In 1912. as a mark Of
distinction for his public services
King George made him member Of
the Ordsr Of tie Carter. the only
conmoner. II ID SAID. 50 honored.
Siseornt Grey 10 noted AZ q force
tui speaker. He is an Eng lxhnan
Of Eng9lshmen, IT liz said, ~eoI6. re-
served and correct in speech and
department. His speeches In Par
lament were mainly plain, simple
Of fact, vigorously put
without any attempt On his part TO be
h1str1onlc " eloquent ~he new
Ambassador In other words. In said 70
possess q logical mind.
When viseount Grey became Brit
ash foreign minister IL years ago be
sought TO strengthen the ties Of
friendship between his country and
other governments. The Anglo
French entente cordiale and the
Anglo Russian entente which was
brought about ia 1907 were regarded
AZ the cornerstone of his foreign pol
Icy, and together they paved the way
Tor entent alliance in the great war.
In 1911 he supported President Taft's
arbitration proposals and nYe years
before. at the Algecinas conference
over Morocco. he turned the scales
toward French predomsnsnce in
northwest Africa. An Of these ef-
forts. IT has been said, were taken in
view Of the growing aggressiveness
Of Germany and have added to Sir
Edward's fame as fsr-sighted
dipiomatiet.
Lees than four months before the
outbreak Of the World War, On July
u. 1914, in a prophetic character
study Of the British Foreign Minister.
q well-known writer said: "ssr Ed
ward has guided England through
some anxious days. At the end Of
1911, the British feet was out in the
North Sea for three days and three
nights without lights ami the decks
cleared for action. How war with
Germany was avoided is az great a
mystery N how war with Germany
threatened. II was the second incl
dent Of its sort since Sir Edward be-
came Foreign Secretary and men do
not pass days OF that kind and not
age. But he has kept the peace in
the days that are past and strfyen TO
secure peace for the days that are to
come and British relations with Ger
many seem happier today than ever.
But IL Sir Edward Grey ever has to
announce war he viii do 1. in The
same calm, even, tones with " hich he
would open flower show"
When later I'm 1914 the war clouds
became positively ominous viscount
Grey proposed an Ambassadorial con-
ference cf all the Representatives of
the European nations and failing 10
bring this about, when the time came
for other action he issued his almost
laconic statement that. in order to
preserve the neutrality Of Belgium, %
Great Britain had entered upon a
state OF war with Germany beginning
at II p. IL On August lth." Later in
an interview I'm London he Said Grca.