VISCOUNT GREY

Nelson Evening Mail, 26 September 1916, Page 7

VISCOUNT GREY

FAREWELL TO CONSTITUENTS. ALLIES' FAVOURABLE POSITION. Sir Ed-ward Grey (now Viscount) addressed the following letter to Sir Francis Blake, president of the Liberal Executive for. the Berwick Division, and it was read, at a meeting- of that body t: — "Foreign Office, July 8, 1916. "My dear Blake,—-There is little time to give thought to words except when they can contribute to the conduct of the war. It will need all our energy and much sacrificed yet to secure a safe, lasting, arid righkimirided peace,- though it is happily true that things are going so favourably for the Allies as to justify the fairest expectation of satisfactory and final success. Every week now the Allies are gaining confidence and the enerhy is losing, it. . "I long,.* however, to express something of what I feel at this moment for you. and for the constituency. Surely there never was a more pleasant constituency, or constituents more thoughtful, earnest, considerate, and kind. My feeling is now and ■will ever be that of deep gratitude for their confidence and for all I have learnt from them since .they first accepted me as a young' candidate without previous knowledge or experience. Your own help and friendship has 'been more to me than I can express, and there are many others whom I ■wish, I could thank individually. "At a. time when individual anxiety and suffering are so widespread, and when our thoughts are constantly of those who on land; and sea are. risking their lives for the couhtrv and all' that is at. stake, it seems unfitting to dwell long upon personal incidents at home. I think, however, it is due fom me to explain to you why this separation from the ' constituency has come so suddenly in a way which, I fear, may be inconvenient and; seem to the electors to be inconsiderate. —-Personal Plans.— "La-st year, when I was told that my eyesight was impaired, and micht become seriously worse. I decided, in order, to be quite free for a time after the i war'was over, not to offer myself again as a candidate, and I intended to make this known as soon as an election, was in ' prospect, and while there was ample time for the constituency to choose another candidate with full, knowledge- 'of the circumstances under "which. the election ■would be held. But things happen, in'time of war otherwise and more peremptorily than in peace, and' circumstances 'both of .private and public convenience, which I need not explain, have made it desirable and almost necessary that the change should take place immediately, instead of being deferred till a General Election. "For the present the war must occupy all our thought's, and until it is over T shall not realise what political separation from the constituency must mean to itie. But I know that' the 30 years of its confidence, which was the beginning and the origin, and has been the support of all public work for me. will always be a splendid and cherished memory; and if it be granted me to spend future years of peace at home amongst those who have 'been my constituents, and will still' he my neighbours, I shall ever remain most deeply grateful-to them, and I hope that they will continue to think kindly of me.— Yours very sincerely. "*- ■. ■ "Edward Grew"