Nelson Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20, 1881. EARL BEACONSFIELD.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 94, 21 April 1881, Page 2

Nelson Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20, 1881. EARL BEACONSFIELD.

However widely men may differ with regard to the political principles of Benjamin ; 3>iui taeii j Boti v£ ncavviistieia i ~Don& can Call in ' question the extraordinary ability and bril- ' liant talents of him .who has formed bo conspicuous a figure in England's history, but has now passed away to join the "great majority." i He came of an ancient race, his family hay- ! ing for centuries resided ib Spain, until about ' the year 1500,. when they were driven out by the Inquisition aud settled in Venice, whence Benjamiu's grandfather removed to England in 1747, where he Bpent the rest of his life, dying at the good old age of ninety, in 1817. Hes left one son, Isaac, born in 1766, who ! turned out a complete literary character, \ having a supreme contempt for anything in the shape of traie. :As years passed by he became a perfect bookworm, scarcely evsr leaving his library, and he is thus described by his son: — "He had not a single passion or prejudice. " He not only never entered into the politics of the day but he could never understand them*" Very different in this respect; to his son Benjamin who, one of a family of four, waa boru on the 21at December," 1804. Although a Jew by birth, he was at the age of twelve received into the Engr liah Church, being baptised at the parish of St. Andrew, Holburn. Of Benjamin Dif- J raeli's education there la no record whatever; Certain if is that he never was at a public, achool or University, and it is supposed that' for what, he learned as a boy 'he. was princi-, pally indebted to his father, He had pot, however, 1 to earn his living, for his father was a man of large fortune, and the late Ear] waa never cramped for means. At twentytwo years of; age he astoniahodthp world by coming out as an, author, and his .first work *' Vivian .Grey " Established his reputation as a brilliant, sarcastic, Witty, and able writer. For ?ome years- he devoted himself to literature and travel, and it was not until 1831 that h.e. took an active interest in politics. In' that year he came forward as a candidate for the representation of Hijjh Wycdmb'e; taking up an independent position^- bitterly bating the Whigs, and refusing to join the Tories because he found them "in a state of igri6rantJstdpefa'6tio'n." He was defeated ; but in a few months there was a general election, at .which he again offered himself to the same constituency only. to., be : beaten, again; this., time by the small mojority of eleven votes., In 1833 he endeavored to get' in fdr'Maryiebone, coming forward as one who sought the' support , of; ." neither of the aristrocratic parties'." " Upon .what dp you stand then?" was the question put to him, which produced the reply, witty yet full of meaning, il Upon ! my head." Finding there was little or no chance of success, he retired from the contest before the pplling day, arrived. Two years later he came forward again and opposed' Mr Labouchere for Taunton but was beaten byl3o<votes. In the' course of this election he fell foul of the great Dan O'Consell whom be characterised as an incendiary and a traitor. Unparliamentary language, was occasionally used even in those days, and O'Connell retaliated by calling hie opponent a " liar,'* whose , life was , a "Hying lie/, And he went even farther than this. He spoke of Disraeli as possessing "just the' qualities of the impenjtent thief/ whose name r he verily t believed^ might have, been Disraeli, And be proceeded : "For aught I know the present Disraeli is descended from him, and with the impression ;tbat he is, I now forgive the heir-at-law of the blasphemous thief; who. died on the croßs." • In the ; general election which followed the accession of Queen Victoria to the throne, Mr Disraeli once more. essayed, and this time successfully, '■- to enter Parliament, and after a sharp contest he was elected one of the members for Maidstone. In delivering his maiden speech, which was on the Irish Election Petitions, he made a fierce onslaught on O'Connell,, by. whose supporters he was fairly hooted down. , It' was' then that he uttered that famous prediction which has since been so abundantly fulfilled. '«I have begun several things," he said, "many times, and I have often succeeded at last. I will sit down now, but the time will come, when you will bear me." In 1839, haying during-hisljwo, years of Parliamentary life been gradually working his way upwards, Mr Disraeli married the widow of Mr Wyndham Lewis, his late colleague iq. the ; repregeßlatJou^f Maidjjtouer f U brought hiui a

hf;n<jisorrio "fortune, and she pr^vcVl ♦<< Mm throughout tbe remainder ot htr bfc wbu.t he himself called the "best wife ie Englandi*' They wore a devoted couple, and while refusing titular honors for himself be accepted for her the rank of Viscountess Beaconefield in 18G8. In 1.841 Mr Disraeli was elected member for Shrewsbury, baviog in the meantime • been gainiug fresh laurels as a politician, an orator, and an author, among other works produced being ''.Coniugsby,'* "Sybil, and "Tancred." He remained R steady, adherent of Sir Robert Peel until the latter became a convert to the doctrines of free trade, when he left bis leader and allied himself closely to the Conservative party, which he continued to be connected with, or to lead, tig to the time of his death. It was in 184/ thafc bis imtiriiig perseverance nt last met its reward, and his abilities as an orator and a statesman for the first time received a formal recognition, for he was then elected leader of the Tory party, and as such was selected to expreso the views of the Opposition Oh the speech from the Tnfohe. - Hi 3 ideas of what England*fi foreign policy should be, as stated then, were cortainly retained by him througbouti cne rest of his career, "He had Dot," he said, <( the common j<?aloii<iy of the icQuence of France in Spain, and Russia in fcrermany. To suppose that grecit lowers like France and Russia would not have their own crnbition to develope, as Englatd had hers;' was to expect the impossible. But what was the use of the power of England c-fceept to combat those it fluenoeß> whether in Spain or elsewhere, if they found them aiming at an inconveuient preponderance ? He often heard that peace could only be maintained by a cordial understanding between England and Frauce, or a secret understanding between England and Russia; but peace could bo maintained by jfagland alone if she under stood her position, and did not undefrrote her power," In 1847 Mr Dientell severed his connection wHh Shrewsbury and became the member for Buckinghamshire, which he continued to represent until his elevation to the Peerage. In 1852 Lord John Russell's Government was beaten by a majority of eleven, and Lord Derby being called upon to form a Ministry selected Mr Disraeli as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Later in the year there was a grand battle on thte principles of :Free Tirade and Profleciiom Mr Disraeli made a brilliant spee&h on behalf of tbe Government, which brought up Mr Gladstone in reply, and ibis criticisms on his opponent's finance were so telling that on the division being taken the Government found themselves in a minority of 19. Ministers sent in their resignations, and Lord Aberdeen succeeded Lord Derby. For nearly six years Mr Disraeli conutined in Opposition, and during the whole of the time he remained very quiet, but Very watchful. In 1858 the Government showed a disposition; to truckle too much to the..Frenc6, who, In consequence of the -Oraini attempt to assassinate the Emperor Louis Napoleon, were loudly, denouncing "perfidious" England for permitting conspirators to mature their plots dh her soil. A Bill was brought itt to amend the laws relating to conspiracy to murder. Popular feeling was strongly against what was regarded as a sacrifice of the dignity of England to the demands of the French Government, and, on the second reading, the Ministry were defeated, the majority again being 19, but this time in favor of the Conservatives. Again did Lord Derby assume the Premiership, and again was Mr Disraeli appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer. They were doomed, however, to another very brief tenure of office, for, upon tbe second reading of the Reform Bill, which in consequence of the pressure brought to bear upon theth they had introduced, but which proved ttiost unsatisfactory in .thfe matter of the, franchise. | ; they were abfeate;d'bya^niajonty 0^39 in a very full 1 House. "A general election followed { the House met \ a three days' debate on the address ensued, and at, the close, in a. House of 613 members, Ministers found a majority of 13 recorded against them. At the head: of a Coalition Ministry, Lord Palmerston succee.ded , to the Premiership, wMch be continued to bold until hie death in 1865. th iB6O, on the occasion of Lord John Russell introducing his. Reform Bill, Mr Disraeli delivered la speech i which tended to make him for a time one of the most unpopular of the leading members of the House, for it was interpreted td mgan that he distrusted the pedple. Until J866, with that wonderful tact he possessed, seeing fhat probably he had made a mistake, he remained perfectly quiet. with one notable exception, namely, in the debate on the policy pursued by the Government with regard to Denmark, when be made a scathing attack upon Lord Palmerston for tbe apathy he had displayed in the matter. All tbis time the question of " Reform "haunted the House, and it became clear that until it was disposed of there was no chance of getting on with any other legislative business. Tb'ere were many wearisome and purposeless discussions, until the Government at last made a stand on a rental franchise, while the Opposition/insisted upon ous based upon rating. A debate, a division, and, a defeat for the Government were the result. Lord Russell, who on Lord PalmerEton's death in the previous year had sueI ceeded him as Premier, resigned, and Lord Derby took his place, with Mr Disraeli, of course, as one of his colleagues. In 1867 the latter introduced into the House of Commons tbe question of the representation of the people, proposing to deal with it by way of resolution instead of bringing down a Bill, stating as his reason that all parties that bad hitherto attempted to deal with it had failed. The House, however, insisted upon a Bill, and one waß introduced, Perhaps Mr Disraeli never in the whole course of his career displayed more tacfc and generalship than in the passage of this measure, and it niUßt have been a proud day for Tbiiri when he flually succeeded in reaching the third reading, and bo achieving a triumph that had been eagerly, strivenibrbut never obtained by his prede-, cessors. Still the Government were not. strong. in the House, and troubles of various, kinds were besetting them on all sides, and the prospect became still more gloomy when Lord Derby was compelled to resign in consequence of ill health. Then, for tbe first time, Mr Disraeli occupied the proud position of Premier 6f Erigland.' ' In making his first Ministerial statement in the House he thus sketohed outj. what -.would- be the foreign policy of the Government. It would be "a policy f that, will not shrink from any changes that arerequired by the: events .of the. age we live in, but: we will never fotget that it is our happy .lot to dwell, in an ancient 1 and historic country,, j rich ;• in. i traditionary in-, fltiences that are the best security for order and liberty, and the most valuable element of our. national character and. our national , strength." • It was about this : time thai Mr Gladstone gave, notice of his resolutions for the Disestablishment of the Irish Church*. They were stoutly opposed by the Government, but -ultimately carried, and upon their basis 1 Mr Gladstone introduced a Bill. There was a large majority against the Government, who after some delay dissolved Parliament. The voice of the country, however, was decidedly against them,' and on Parliament' reassembling, the Opposition majority was found to have, .been more than doubled, and Mr Disraeli once more found himsslf transferred from the Government Benches to the leadership qf; the Opposition. With less of the burden of State affairs upon him, he once more fell back upon literary pursuits, and it was at this/time he wrote "Lothair," one of his most popular novels. Adhering to his peculiar tactics of keeping as quiet as possible in the position he occupied, and at the same time relaxing not, a. jot his watchfulness of tbe Government, he had the satisfaction of seeing them gradually becoming more and more unpopular while the Tory party was once; more gaining an ascendancy in the feelings of the people, and early in 1872 Mr Disraeli received a perfect < ovation from nearly 40,000 people who assembled to meet him on a visit be paid to Manchester. In the Town Hall of that city he delivered a brilliant' oration unmercifully criticising the Government . policy, but; at the same time counselling patience. The aesiion of 1873 followed aoS the question of Irish University Reform was introduced by the Government, but did not meet with popular favor. A scathing speech was delivered during the debate by Mr Disraeli, who in the course of it made a bitter attack upon Mr Gladstone, of whom he thus spoke:—" You have now had four years of it. You have despoiled Churches; you have threatened every corporation, and every endowment in tbe country; you have examined into everybody's affairs'

v ii j;avc criticised every profession, and vexccl.uvery trade. Nobody i« certain of his property \ nobody knows what duties he may bave to perform to morrow." The division followed, and the Ministry found that there was a majority of threo against Ihem. The next morning Uv Gladstone announced hie resignation an 3Mr Disraeli was Bent for> but the Opposition debliuod to forma Ministry, and threw upon Mr Gladstone the onus of a general election, which it was expected would take place at once. This was in April, but it was not until the following January that the dissolution .was announced, the reason "of the long delay being that, as a Matter [of fact, the Government had nothing to go to the country upon ekcepfc the Irish University Bill, Which was anything but popular. In the interval between the defeat of the Government and tfab dissolution, Mr jl» Israeli was elected to {he office of Lord Hector of the Glasgow tjnivfersity. the general eteotiSa took place in January and February, 1874, and during its progress \'v was evident that then, for the first time in his life, Mr Disraeli was a really popular leader, and on the 17th of February, after a political life of just 43 years, he, for the last tinle, as it has proved to bes took office as Eoglabd's Prime Minister:, hating at hia back a majority of more than fifty, Mr Gladstone, after seeing the t^i v K irair3 nacl. taten, naving handed over to him the seals of office without Waiting for Parliament; to assemble. For t\V6 years he led the House of Commons, but the fatigues of office and ttie of increasing yeAr3 began to tell upon him, and in 18^6 he sought the Berefaer atmosphere of the House of Lords under t^fi title of B»rl bf Beaconß&eM find ViscSunt Hughenden. His l&ter actions.including his grand diplomatic triumph in Berlin, must be so fresh in the memories of. our rea'aetg thai it is tleedlesß to refer to tileni Sow. Suffice it to say that oil hiß return home after the Berlin C uference he was without doubt the most popular man in England. From that date, however, his popularity has been on the decline, owing principally to the Afghan and Capo wars, which were constituted a powerful lever against him, that was bandied in a most masterly manner by Mr Gladstone in bis famous Midlothian campaign, the result being tbafc, at the close of tbe general election in. April last year, Earl Beaconsfield found so large a majority against him that he at once retired from office in favor of bla old opponent, Mr Gladstone. And now lie has passed away altogether f roni the scene, and -at a time when he could ill be spared. The outlook at home is gloomy indeed, and statesmen are urgently required,, not only in the Minis-, try bufin the'oppoßition, for the one forms almost as an essential part bb tbe other in the government of an Empire like that of Great Britain. In the one as in the other Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield, was universally recognised as a great power, and it is not to be wondered at that, as our telegrams of to-day state, hi* death has created a profound sensation throughout Europ?. It would be still more correct to say. " throughout the whole of the Civilised world.''