OBITUARY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2760, 2 May 1916, Page 5

OBITUARY

LORD --iA LDWVN By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Rec. May 1, 11.25 p.m.) ; • London, May 1. . • The death is announced of Lord St. Aldwyn. (better known lis Sir Michael Hicks-Beach). He had been indisposed for, some time, and the death of his heir, who was killed in action last week, hastened the end. . A MASTER OF FINANCE. Tho late Lord St, Aldwyn, familiarly known till his creation as a Viscount in 1905 as' Sir ilichael Edward Hicks-Beach, was long a substantial force in British politics. In the judgment of that .veteran Parliamentarian, Mr. Justin M'Cavtliy, he was the moat - efficient ana capable member of Lord Salisbury's. Government, ending in 1992, .in which lie was Chancellor ot' the T3xchc<iuer. His strength lay in the region of finance, and his financial statements were successive models of clearness, symmetry, and interest. • He was admitted by the House of -Commons to be a man in advance of his colleagues on all subjects of financial administration, and he has also called "one of the foremost dobaters in the House of Commons among- the men who madb no. pre. tensions to the higher order of eloquence." . The late Lord St. Aldwyn was bom m London in 1837, and educated at Eton and Christ "Church, Oxford, whure no graduated with a first-class in the school of law and modern history. In 1864 ho was elected a membra- of Parliament for East Gloucestershire, in the Conservative interest, and four yrars later saw him acting both as Parliamentary. Secretary to the Poor Law Board and as Under-Secre-tary for the Home Department. In IS7! he was appointed Chief Secretary tor Ireland, and was a member of the. Cabinet of 1877. From 1878 to 1880 he was Secretary of Stnte for the Colonies. Just before'the dissolution of Mr. Gladstone's administration in 1885,' he moved the following vote of censure on the Government for the conduct of Egyptian affairs: "That this House regrets to find the course pursued by U<n Majesty's Government has not tended to promote the success of General Gordon's mission, and that even such steps as may be necessary to secure his ■personal safety are delayed."- The lato Lord Randolph Churchill, in the course of an elaborate eulogy of Sir 1 Michael Hicks-Beach on this occasion, referred to "the sonorous and resonant cheers" which greeted his speech in support fif the motion from beginning to end —"a speech," he continued, "with reference to which I inuy be permitted to remark that it was a.magnificent iudictment. and tho more magnificent because it was so measured and so grave,, and I think it must have recalled to the Prime Minister himself the palmy days'of Tory leadership." In 1885 Lord St. Aldwyn was elected for West Bristol, and became Chancellor of the Exchequer -in the Conservative Administration of that year, and leader of the House of Commons, After Air. Glati. stone's short Home Eule. Ministry in 1886 he became Irish Secretary in Lord Salisbury's Government, being succeeded by Lord 'Randolph Churchill .as leader of the House of Commons,' It was only : owing to the noble disinterestedness of the lata Lord St. Aldwyn that;the".positions'-of the two men, who were always tho .closest friends, .were not reversed. When Lord Salisbury formexl Ms Ministry he first offer-, ed the position of Leader of. the House to Sir Michael Hicks-Beach, by whom it was declined. "I felt," wrote the departed statesman; "that Lord Randolph Churchill was superior in eloquence, ability, and;influence to myself; that the position of Leader in name, but not in fact, would be intolerable; and tbat it was better for the Leader in fact to.be the Leader also in namo, ; Lord Salisbury very strongly pressed me to remain, saying that character was of the most importance, and quoting Lord Althorp as an instance, but I .insisted. I had very great difficulty in persuading Lord Randolph Churchill to agree. ... He insisted on my going to pointing out that I could only honourably give up the leadership by taking what was at the moment the most difficult position in the Government." The matter was arranged accordingly. In the winter of 1886/ there was a widespread Tefusal or inability to pay rents in Ireland. Sir Michael Hicks-Beach endeavoured to mitigate the severities of the time by the exercise of a kind of dispensing power.'- Landlords were given to understand that the whole machinery of the Executive would not necessarily be at their disposal for the purpose of enforcing against their tenants claims which, in the opinion of the Chief Secretary, were unjust. However unsatisfactory this treatment may have been in theory, it worked ,excellently in practice, und there w&s' a noticeable absence of srinies during tfbe winter. In 1587 Sir Miohael, Hicks-Beach resigned office owing to. an affliction of his eyesight, and meanwhile Mr. Goschen was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer. •From 1888 to 1892\ Sir Michael returned to active work-as President'-of the Board of Trade, and in 1895 he became again Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Goschen being transferred to tho Admiralty. In 1890 he lowered tho fixed charge for the national debt from 25 to 23 millions, a reduction rendered necessary, amon* other reasons, by the difficulty experE enced in redeeming consols at their then inflated price. In order to provide funds tor the • conduct of. the war in South Alrica he insisted on combining the raising of loans with the fresh taxation; and besides raising the income tax each year, up to ,1s; Bd. in 1902, he introduced. taxes on. sugar and exported coal, and m 1902 proposed the reimposition of the registration duty on corn and flour which had heen abolished in 1869. •In 1902 he resigned office, probably owing; to a difference of views on the fiscal question from those: held by his colleagues. .....