A FAULTLESS POLITICIAN

Gisborne Times, Volume IX, Issue 826, 14 February 1903, Page 3

A FAULTLESS POLITICIAN

Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman is a born casuist, and an exceedingly slippery type of politician. He' is never in the wrong, and if ho is, he seems able to convince himself, if no one else, that he is right. He stands by every word he said in his criticism of the war. He regrets nothing, and is quite unaware of any harm having been dono by his words. He never attributed barbarous intentions or evil purposes to anyone, and only pointed out that tho course pursued was in its essence barbarous. What Sir Henry really did say when he first made his charge of barbarism was “. Wfyon is a war not a war ? When it was carried on by methods of barbarism.” Ever since June, 1901,he has been trying to explain that when ho used •♦the words in question, they did not moan that tho army in South Africa was carrying on tho ' war in a barbarous manner, but he has been unable to convince anyone but himself that his words had no) the meaning attached to them. As to his words having done harm,'no better prool is neoded than the fact that he was con stnntly cited by the Continental press ’ an d by the Boers, as their authority fo. ' their statements of barbarous conduct ■ the part of the British in p ' . on He did infinite h® — * Africa, but h° 1 --m in other directions, is apparently one of those bluni derers who do mischief, and can" go on > doing it without knowing.—Natal Mercury.