LORD ROSEBERY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 601, 1 September 1909, Page 7

LORD ROSEBERY.

• 'AND THE UNIONIST ANTI-BUDGET ~' V;; ,; .LEAGUE. 18/' T«iefr»ph.-Preis AaßocJullon.-CopyrlchU (Rec.-August 31/9.45 p.m.) •■■ : "i ;■',': /: London, August 31. The; meeting; of tho Unionist Budget Protest;. League in" Glasgow, which Lord Rosebcry,'}B to address, will bo held on September 10.; '^J-'f- ■", : - .' :y:.V "ONLY A SPRINTER," _ • SpWB; piSTANtS TRAINING WANTED, ' Will tho Budget—which lit has already re- • forred to, as revolutionary—mark tho comploto entry of' Lord; Roseberv into 'tho 'Unionist party?' .The •"retired raven!, on. .auwithered; ; stage' has become old if:not monoton'ous. and any transition will arouse a new and perhaps needed curiosity. "The Times" dropped a,distinct :hint whon it said the other day that from this: address, at Glasgow--an. : inference; might bo drawn as to Lord Rosebery.'s politicalfuture.- The following Unionist view; of the career and position!-of the former Liberal Prime Minister is, at tho present, stage specially '.interesting:—.- '•.":'■. .7' v' • ':.-.'■■ ■■■-' ','■■-..- '-"-'( ;' Among- his varied brilliant parts', .'Lord Kosebery,has figured spasmodically as a light-weight /Abbe Sioyes.o'.His.patented.plan of Lord Kit-, chonor as permanent nonpartisan 'War, Minis-' tcr- still; awaits l realisation,' but; his-invention of .himself as- Publio; Orator was perhaps .his most-promising 'Constitutional, novelty..,-"'.lt. is : rai:lier out of. date,, however, now, that, the' Radicals.have!proved thomselvos equal; to winning'a record majority in spite" of his. announcement that he would not fight under thoiivba'nner unless they definitely-adjured Home Ruio. Even his own Liberal Leaguerß have come in under the Campbell-Baunerman ''umbrella"—to uso a metaphor that Lord Rosebery, once coined for rallying round Mr.: Gladstone—and left tho ex-Premier outside, saying nothing, but think-' ing, no doubt, the m0re..... ■ ... .',:,.. ; ; ; /.p,- ' ~'■. Juvenile In: Middle, Ab«-; v ;.;.■ |. ','■' ;!|' ; ;'; ; Certainly- neither Lord Rosebery.-nor 1 ' the. country can Have,.expected.' that this'was all, .that would .eventually come .of .the Chester-: field speech,' which was'to have made history and ! regenerated' .the nation. / But, somehow of other,, that speech-went, os awry as-Chester: field steeple. -People began to reflect that after all they Iliad heard tho word-'efficiency" before, and that the'ploughman did'not seem to be very energotib personally in his lonely furroW, or qui to to know which way bo meont to drive it. Even the'.Radical; got accustomed to' hearing him 6ay'"predominant partner";,or Vclean .slate," and concluded,that it was-only "pretty Fanny'sway," as' he.-'said' of. Mr.-Balfour.-"; Is; it,--as: a preceptor of; his -youth is said to have-re-' .marked, that Lord-Rosebery, seems to desire the ■palm' without 'the* dust?.'. Or, 'according! to a later writer,' that wo'.do not toko hiin quite seriously > becauso of ,"an almost : juvenile roguishness,\whibh clings to him in,his middleage?"""' I '' v;'.;■',"' '•; "■','■■! ••'■'' . ;, 7 '-/'':. ,-Onca many were disposed to think'hini the ■ victim of .'sheer •.bad luck. .; He had been a: most promising young man; when, in": 1871, ho ■ made liis maiden speech, upon Mr..'Gladstone's invitation,' in'seconding the Address in the • House of Lords,'and, in the immediately'following years, I .when -he. interested' himself.Notably m'Seottish education and the "supply -of! horses'in.. this country.."-' f As' Under-Secretary, for- Home Affairs and First.. Commissioner.;of '..Works I 'he" did quite well;;as Foreign Secretary undof Mr. Gladstone, with- an unusually - free-hand, even'brilliantly. He had made a popular and inspiring "Mr. Chairman" the L.C.C.; iind kept a Federative eye on the Emnire. But, of;course,, it was trying him hard to expect him to plough the sands \aftor Mr. Gladstone, with assistance''..from Sir William Hurcourt and.Mr.Labouchere.-. ■'.■'■;■■''.,■'■■ '.■'..

Is!tho- Future, Bohlnd? -!/! ; ; ; ;' "When he.designed the Liberal, leadership from inability to recogniso; Armenia as a vital, portion, of.- the British Empire,, he.was still: considered one who had" been unlucky, so for,' but had yet a:brillinnt future before him. It is more generally supposed to be ■behind him: now. Lord : Rosebery is regarded as. a pretty sprinter, who-simply, will not go'into training for long" distances. • Everyono, how-, ever, is still delighted to hear from him, orally or in print, on Pitt, Napoleon, or his "old friend" Sir. Henry Campbell-Bonnerman; and, if ho could add a'fourth. Derby winner to Ladns, ; Sir.Visto, nnd Cicero, the entire nation would, rojoice.; We are all ; proud; of Lord Roseberjj, and only'wish it had pleased him to'' let it's .be more; so.;-..'■!.-

For'■ cinvenionco of: reference, it must be added,'-with-'a jerk; that Archibald ' Philip Primrose, K.G., K.T., LL.D., fifth Earl of Rosebery, was born, in 1847 and succeeded' his, grandfather in lfG8; that he w«6 educated nt, Eton and Christ Church; that he sits ns'Bnron Rosebery (U.K); that ho married > Jleyor do Rothschild s daughter, ond is a widower; and that his, heir is his son, Lord Dalineny, M,P. 'for."Midlothian,- and captain' of the Surrey, cricket.Dieven.;,,'.,;■ .-;