MR. BALDWIN EXPLAINS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 113, 29 May 1937, Page 6

MR. BALDWIN EXPLAINS

Reasons for Retirement In nc better words than his own can the motives be expressed that have led Mr Baldwin to hand over the reins of his. high office to another and younger man. It was in this way that he opened his farewell speech to the eleetors of Bewdley: Ib would be 'atfectation on mv part if I were not to say a few words to you about the peculiar clrcurastances in which we meet. I remember many years ago, when I was possibly more of a Die-hard Tory than I am to-day, and when I bad all- the feelingjs proper to a young member about the Radical iqaprity "v. IjcL tram p'.id on cur Jiberties," hearing Mr Asquith speak of the intolerable burden of his office, and. I, being young and never having held office, and naturally believing that all my opponents were humbugs, thought that was an exaggeration, but I have learnt that it is not. I have known for many years, partly from my observation before I held high office and partly from my experienee since, that in these days there must be some limit of time, some term to the period, during which any man can hold continuously these burdens. I was always resolved, for my own sake, for the sake of my party, and for tlie sake of my country, that the moment A felt that I had given the best I had to give, and felt some doubts as to the future, that moment I would ask to be relieved of that burden. It is not fair to our colleagues, to your successor, to the country, to your ccnstituency, to give of anything in these great positions but of our very best. I do know that the result of year after year of this responsibility is to sap the vitality of the strongest. In ft democratic ^cquptry the PxUne

«■ Minister is not only the head of the Government — he is the leader of a party and he is the leader of the House of Commons. To carry on that tripartite task many years beyond thef age I have now rea.ched is, as I have said, in. my belief, beyond the strength of human nature. What might be possible were long holidays possible for Prime Minister s, if they could be Prime Minister in the House of Lords— but none of these things is possible. We have under our system to take these things as they are, and no one but the man who bears that burden is realJy qualihed to khow that it will be better for him to ask permission to hand it to someone elsc than to go on. ' I am quite clear in my own mind that, wliile I believe my judgment to be as good — if it has been good — as it has ever been, I am conscious that tho vitality. is to a ccrtain exteut sapped and that one nee is more rest and one gets more tired. But if that be the case in days like these, what right has one to go on with the risk that one may get niore tired and really impair the work of the Government of which one is to lead? Far bet£ ter to go when people may still think of you as, perhaps, not incompetent to do your work than to stay until. perhaps they know before you do that yqu are becoming incompetent. Aud .-w my conscience in that matter is clcai , and it may not be so very long before you will have to ehoose another member for West W.orcestershire.