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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (June 28, 1903)
Premier Balfour Reformed Idler (Copyright. 1903, by William Thorp.) 1)1 ""UB or Commons several poll- -''''" " ' " dluku ail illum ing room discussing one of their colleagues. He was lazy, they aid; ho was utterly unpractical; ha had not the faintest chance of arriving at any thing great "lon't Ik) so sure," said an aged states man who hud been listening to their talk. "It Is a ticklish business to Judge a man. Io you know that we used to say the very Sumo things about Balfour less tlinn twenty years ngn, and now he is prime minister of Great HrltalnT "In 1K&6 and 188G none of us dreamed that be would ever become a successful politi cian, let alone a great statesman. A president of the Ixcal Government board and secretary for Scotland he had man aged to miss all his chances of doing any thing remarkable. Ho was clever enough, but ho simply couldn't take the trouble to work. It. seemed to be almost too much bother to him to live. He seldom got out f led before the afternoon, and often he would not go to his ofllce for three or four days nt a time. Dispatches bored him. Parliament was a nuisance, and the offi cials of his department tore their hair over bis neglect to keep appointments and sign Important documents. They never ex pected him to read them; If they could set him to sign them a week late they thought themselves lucky. "Well, this was the man whom Lord Salisbury appointed chief secretary for Ire land in 1884 one of the stormiest periods In the modern history of that country. Of course, everybody raged and said that Salisbury had appointed the most unlit man be could have found In a day's march, Imply because that man happened to be ' bis own nephew. The Irish members were delighted. They thought they had got a man of straw for their chief opponent. Purnell alone saw the truth. " 'Don't docelve yourselves,' he told his colloagues. 'Salisbury knows what he Is doing. There's a great deal more in Bal four than he has shown us yet. He will turn out to be the strongest chief secre tary fur generations punt.' "And so It proved. Fuced at lust with an Immensely dlfllcult and Important tusk, Bulfour altered his habits completely. There was no more lying abed until noon, no more neglect of business, no more scorn for petty detulls. He rose with the lurk even after a hard night's session in the House of Commons and worked hard ull day and every day at his offlce. When he became chief secretary he knew no mora about Irish affairs than the average man In the street, but In less than a month he Surprised the permanent oflleluls by his thorough knowledge of every branch of Irish government. "And as he worked and learned his char acter and will grew stronger. The lazy, Vacillating philosopher who couldn't mako up bis mind about anything became. In a few short weeks, the stern administrator who telegraphed: 'Don't hesitate to shoot!' to the soldiers at Mltchelstown when they asked bow they were to deal with a riotous mob. "You all know how he has risen since then. It Is a good lesson to be careful In your judgments," concluded the old states man. Strange to say, this man who has risen to the top of the tree In British politics ts no lover of politics. He Is a politician by family Influence and chance, not by choice. Tho nephew of Ixrd Salisbury, Arthur 3. Iialfour wus "born to the purple" and rfes talned for Parliament from his Kton daya Hut his tastes are literary and academln, not political und practical. He cares more for the honors which have been showered upon him by all the British universities la recognition of his achievements In philos ophy that he does for his political fame. "Give me my hooks, my golf clubs and leisure," he once said to a friend, "and I would ask for nothing more. My Ideal In life Is to read a lot, write a little, play plenty of golf and have nothing, to worry about. If I could give up politics and retire tomorrow without disorganizing tilings and neglecting my duty I would gladly do so." Mr. Balfour has often said this, and there Is no doubt that he Is sincere. He is too much of a philosopher to be ambitious. Entering politics more as a social necessity thun anything else, he drifted from one fflee to unother until at lust he reached a lositlon In which he hud to work hard, or In his view, Jeopardise England's Inter ests by negloct. He worked hard and "made good." As a reward he was given till more Important posts, which have kept him working busily ever since. In the strenuous "Coercion" days, when Mr. Balfour stood In grave danger of as sassination, ho worried his friends by absolutely refusing to tako any preeau. Won s. He would not even allow himself to be guarded by secret service men, though a previous chief secretary, Lord Frederics; Cavendish, had been murdered In Dublin, But he was constantly "shadowed" by de tectives against Ma orders, and he used to fet great amusement by trying to shake tbem oft He did not hesitate to travel ftf-- v-. VAX RT. HON. A11T11UH J. alone even In the most disturbed parts of Ireland, where scores of men would have been glad to kill him hud they rec ignlzed him as their arch-enemy. "Moody Bal four," the man whose stern suppression of riots mude his name for a while as detested In Ireland us that of Cromwell. Balfour's cool courage Anally won tho respect of the Irish and when he relin quished control of Irish affairs he was us populur as any chief secretary could be under a policy of coercion. .Even the Irish members in the House of Commons liked him, us they do today. "He tells us with exquislto politeness that we are fools when we meet him here, and he sends us to Jail when we are In Ireland," the late Dr. Tanner, M. P. for Cork, used to say. "But he has such a charming way with him that nobody can belp liking him." That la how all Mr. Balfour's opponents feel toward him. Nobody hits out harder jf-: l ; W : . . I . Jh r : BALFOUR. PREMIER OF ENGLAND than he does In debate, but there Is never any personal bitterness, any malicious sting in his remarks, as there almost al ways Is In Mr. Chamberlain's. Mr. Bal four Is one of the kindliest, most gentle men alive. I lis courtesy and considera tion for others are unfailing, and that s why he Is the most popular leader of the House of Commons In the history of Par liament. In English society he Is extremely popu lar and much sought after. Years ago dowagers used to uncle for him for their daughters. He Is decidedly "eligible" in the marriage market, being rich as well as distinguished, but he has never married and nobody expects that he will. Even the most hopeful dowagers have given him up ag a confirmed bachelor. Next to his books Mr. Balfour finds his chief pleasures In golfing and cycling. Mr. Chamberlain has been heard to boast that he never takes any other exercise than KEW MASONIC HOME FOR WIDOW 8 AND ORPHANS AT that of walking up and down stairs. Mts) so his chief. Mr. Balfour Is one of the best golfers In tho House of Commoua, If not In Great Britain. He started the annual Parliamentary Golf Tournament, and always stands high up In it. He used to be captain of the oldest and most fa mous golf club In tho world the Royal and Ancient Golf club of St. Andrews and be Is still the president of the National Cyclists' union of Great Britain. The head caddie on the St. Andrew's links is fond of remarking regretfully that a splendid golf professional was lost In Mr. Balfour when be turned his attention to statesmanship. When Mr. Gladstone was alive members of the House of Commons used to wonder whether ho or Mr. Balfour was fonder of petti lg children. Although poiltlcal oppo nents, they were Intimate friends. Both liked literature better thun the rough-and-tumble of politics, and they were bound together also for their fondness for children, especially for Dorothy Drew, Mr. Gladstone's pet grandchild. In earlier years they both petted Ludy Syb.l Primnsa, Lord Kosebery's daughter, wh im Mr. Glad, stone nicknamed 'the suffrage babe," be cause she was born at a time when a suf frage bill was agitating Parliament. An English writer who has met Mr. Bal four on several occasions tells with pleas ure of the first meeting. It was at a great conservative demonstration In a Kentish park in 1887. Mr. Balfour was the principal speaker, and the writer was then a little boy selling programs for the good of the cause, as Is the habit of the sons of Prim rose league dames. Greatly daring, the boy stopped Mr. Balfour as he was walk ing through the park to the platrorm to make his speech, and askea him to buy a program. He took one and generously paid ten times the proper cost. "I am glad to see you helping our cause bo young, my little man," he said, patting the boy's head. "What are you going to be when you grow up?" "I'd like to be a great man in Parlia ment like you, sir!" the youngster replied. "Don't you!" exclaimed Mr. Balfour, laughing. "There's no fun in it. I'd rather be a boy like you." Some of the organizers of tho meeting came up and told Mr. Balfour that the people were waiting to hear lilm speak, but he waved them aside. "Can't you see I'm trying to strengthen the faith of a young disciple?" he said. Then he asked the boy all about his home life and his schoolmates, and gave him some sound advice on school practice. "Don't get Into any more fights than you can help, but If you have to fight let the other boy knock you blind and silly before you give In. That's tho only way to get on and have a good time." Ten years after when the boy was work ing on a London newspaper, he had occa sion to call on Mr. Balfour at his offlce In Downing street. "Do you remember buying a program of me at Southwood in 1NS7?" he asked. "Why, yes," said the statesman, "and are you the boy for whom I kept the meet Ing waiting? Don't you think now that I was wise In telling you there was no fan In politics?" This s an example of Mr. Balfour's won derful memory. Like most absent mlnde4 (Continued on Page Thirteen 'Q PLATT8MOUTU, Ne