The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1947-12-15
Earl Baldwin, Thrice
Prime Minister, Dies
In Sleep In His Home
HE FORCED KING ED-a
WARD VIII TO RESIGN
WHEN HE INSISTED
ON MARRYING WALLY
tBy yhe Associated press)

LONDON, Dec .15.-Earl Bald
win, who, as Stanley Baldwin
was thrice the prime minister o.
Great Britain, died in his sleeE
in his home in Stourport, Wor
chestershire, it was announced
yesterday. He was 80 years Of
age.
He and the late Cosmo Corridor
Lang forced King Edward VIII
now the Duke of Windsor, to re-
sign in December, 1886.
King Edward was given the
choice of continuing as Great
Britain's king or marrying Wallis
Warfield Simpson, twice divorced
American, and Baldwin told the
House of Commons that the king
replied, II am going to marry
Mrs. Simpson, and am prepared
to CO."
Being a true blue" and thor
oughly English Englishman'
helped the Right Honorable Stan
ley Baldwin attain the personal
popularity and widespread faith
in his capabilities which thrice
made him prime minister of Great
Britain.
Opponents, no matter how bit
ter they might be toward his
policies and political creed. ac-
knowledged him as sincere and
reliable. His friends saw in him
the personificatlon of all the adj
mirable qualities of the tradition
al John Bull.
Short, stocky, ruddy and, more
often than not, with pipe in his
mouth, he looked that part. He
was thorough conservative in
politics a successful ironmaster
i'm business and SteadfaSt
churchman-all by inheritance.
He did few things spectacularly.
but whatever he set his hand to
ne carried through.
His ster1is As ,prime minister
covered May 25, 1923, to January
%, 1924; November 6, 1924, to
June A.. 1929, and from June Z,
1885 to 1887.
Outstanding accomplishments
in his record were the American
war debt settlement of 1898 the
smashing Of the 1925 general
strike and the enfranchisement
of women aged Fl to 80 in 1923.
In a notable exhibition of pa
triotism he gave anonymously
$3.50 900, one-fifth of his fortune,
to the British treasury in 1913,
turning over. war bonds of that
amount for cancellation. His
hope that his example would be
followed by others was not real
lied. Ten years later his son,
Oliver. revealed that the gift had
been motivated largely by Bald
wins dislike of the sources OF ms
firms profits in war munitions
calling them "blood money.
Rhine Made Britain's Frontier
While serving as lord president
of the council in the Ramsay Mac
Donald national unity" cabinet
Of 1891 -35, he created a sensation
in the house of commons on July
81. 1884. by his statement tha'
"Britains new frontiers are on
the Rhine" He was largely re-
sponsible for the subsequent push
IN make Britain's air power equai
tn that of any other nation with
in striking distance of England,
He was a firm believer IN the
inherent nature of British friend
ship with America. Through me
wears and as prime minister he
preached that "close collaoora-
ton" between the two nations
would rid the world of war, al
though he acknowledged that III
might take 100 years" to BRING
this about.
"Only politicians and the press
can cause trouble between Eng
land and America" was the way
he phrased it. ,ooo
Baldwin broke the 1926 gen
eral strike by backing up the
police and appealing to the brit
ish reverence for public order
Then he refused to take punitive
measures against the leaders
LET us rather make them on
der-loving too" he said, at the
same time starting LEGISLATOR
which made him proud to nave
k;lled general strikes in England
for all time" That was .nt
Trades Union bill of 1877 out
lay;ne' general strikes and en-