WINISTON SPEKR CHURCHILL

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 25, 29 January 1921, Page 13

WINISTON SPEKR CHURCHILL

STORMY PETREL OF BRITISH! FOLiTICS. !

"En_':i:?imian; 25 years old; about 5 1 fpct S inches high; indifferent build; • ■ara.:k= v.-iti: bond forward; pale appear- I an«v, reddisa-brown hair; small mous-ta-rlio hardly perceptible; talks through) the no=e, and cannot pronounce the letter 's' properly." It was thus that the Boers .Scribed ilr. Churchill in the wjrrani for hit- arrest, after his escape from Pretoria in the early days of the Hoor War. It is not a very flattering pxture, but it is an accurate one. That defective speech .Uone would have destroyed most nwn, but Mr. Churchill makes you forget it by the sheer emygy of his mind and manner. "He rides, as it were rough-shod over himself,' , says Mr. A. G. Gardiner, in a sketch of him, written eight years ago. It is doubtful whether the brilliant journalist would write of the erratic statesman to-day as he did in 1912, but he very cleverly set down the salient features of Churchill's extraordinary character. Winston CShurchill Is an Anglo-Ameri-can. His father, Randolph Churchill, was the third son of the sixth Duke of Marlborough. The first of that House was the brilliant commander, John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, whose campaign in Flanders against the French made hie name famous in history. Hi 3 mother was a Miss Jerome, of New York, who some years ago married Mr. John Corawallis West, a contemporary of her son Winrton. She has since divorced him. Winston was born on November 30th, 1574, and became a scholar at Harrow in ISSS. Destined for a military career, he entered Sandhurst in ISO 3, and two years later secured his commission as lieutenant in the 4th Hussars. The war in Cuba broke out in 1897, and. getting leave from his regiment, he ■went out to the island as correspondent for the "Daily Graphic," but arriving there, he fought as 'a soldier on the Hpanish and won his first order, Military Merit of the First Class, and "':e praises ai the Spanish General, Marline:: Campo-. Wp find him afterwards v,ith the Malakand Field Force with the Tirah expedition, and a year later accompanying Kitchener up the Nile, for the reconquest of Khartoum. On this occasion, he acted as correspondent for the "Morning Post," and his articles and despatches were singularly lucid, interesting and outspoken. It was evident that he was more than a mere photographer in words. He wrote like a historian, and condemned his seniors with all the audacity of youth and the assurance of a judge. There was considerable resentment amongst the offleere of the 21st Lancers, to which 'he had transferred, against this precocious intruder. Mr. Gardiner recalls the following incident of that campaign:— Instead of giving him a troop to lead they put him in charge of the mesa store, and one has described how he met him one day in charge of a decrepit mule and two donkeys. "Look at that. There is a trust for a British officer, it is not even a job for a non-commle-eioned officer. They have said, 'We'll break young Churchill'B ihoart jf ne comes to us. . Poor little men! They think Vm as small aa they are. But rfc my object to write a big book on this oompaign, and as long as I get trp I don't mind in what capacity they employ mc. Even if they give mc a sweeper's job, I ehould not demur." It is a fine story—as fine in its way, given file inferiority of motive, as that of Lincoln when General McCleEan, according to his rude habit, had kept the President waiting for 'him. Someone expressed anger at the indignity. TNever mind," said Lincoln, "I win hold McClellan's horse if he will only bring us success." SOUTH APRIQAH ADVENTURE. Hβ was no sooner 'back from Egypt than he rushed off to South Africa, not as a soldier this time, but as a correspondent pure and simple. He went out imbued with tihe prevalent prejudices againat {he Boers, but when he was there, the scales dropped from his eyes. Hβ fell into their hands, when they upeet the armoured train on 'which he was travelling, aad in the defence of which he Assisted. By capturing him, they did H™ the best service in the world, nor <Dd he do them a bad torn when he Blade his escape from Pretoria prison. After this picturesque incident, Mr. Churchill had the sympathetic «*r of Che public for everything he wished to e»y. He did his best to infuse dnty and ehiralry into the jingo mob, and it was not his fault that he failed. His first Parliamentary success was achieved in 1901, whwn he slew Mr. Broderick\» army Bdheme, although it ie troe i* ciawled aroand on-buried for astatSier year. Thereafter, be raised the ■tattered **«g o!f refcrenchmeßt, which Sad fallen from 'Ma father's hands, and btfldry attacked *he excessive expenditure of tU»e Government. Bat, although ifc <wae oimoQe at tihat time that he /was destined for a high phwe in Parliament, he made his reputation by hie deeds wttih Mr. Chanrbertam, who bad started his fiscal 'heresy ot protectioiu Against lihie, Churchill took trp a position of rtera and unrelenting aartagv--.Ttfcrm Ho denounced flhe new departure, end generally made ia mark on ids party. Ejected from bis party,"- QrurchiH joined Oh* Tanks of the L-fberale, and a dose personal friendship sprung up beifcween him and Mr. Uoyd George—a friendship -which has never been broken, end which is strong to-day. Wiben the English people •'had their first opportunity of revising the mistake they made during the fchaki election of 1901, the Liberals came foack to power. The services of Winston Ghurchfli in debate were rewarded t>y the UnderSecretairysbip for 'Bhe ColoniSes. TThis he held for two years, stepping from the Colonial Office to the Presidency of the Board of Trade in 1908. He became Home Secretary in 1910. Whilst holding this office the famous Sydney Street "siege" took place, on which occasion fee ordered the 'bom-banrment of the house in -which a handful of criminals had taken refuge. To the general surprise, not lonjr after, he transferred to the Admiralty ac First Lord, a position which carried a lower salary, but which undoubtedly appealed to his imagination. THE GREAT WAR AND AFTER. When the war broke out he "was st ill at Admiralty House., and admittedly <lif! p-eat work there. It v/ae he who, on life onvrr responsibility. 'before Turkey entered the war. stopped the departure of the lireadnoujrlit -which was ready t" i lip delivered to the Turks from a British shipyard, and appears to have backed, up the naval men most whole-heartedly ■ in the plans they made for the safety, of th» Empire. A man of extraordinary, imagination, he was all for ending thfj war by some dramatic strode, and, havinr-'a firm belief Lα the power of the j

navy, urged upon the War Office the advJsabOrty of sending an army along tho shore of Belgium to Oetend and Zeobrugge, to clear these porta of the Germans. Kie desperate attempt to save Antwerp is held up against him also, but tho idea wae right, and Ohnrchill appeared to remetraber, -what other •Ministers forgot, that wo "had ap-ain and again promised succour to the unfortunate Belgians. Had we held Antwerp, the whole German position in Flanders would have, been jeopardised. j It was Ch-urchuTs idea, -too, to force tie Dardanelles, and. although that unfoTtumato venture ended disastrously, there is do doubt whatever that the conception WB3 xi£ht. and had OhTirc'hriU'a plans succeeded, the war would have ended far sooner. Sut tho venture failed, and GhcrohiH coon after was dropped from th« Government when it was re-organised by Lloyd George. Despite the criticisms which have been levelled against 'aim. he 'had established a repntati-on as a 'Minister who did tilings, who vfas not- afraid to take risks, who had imagination and initiative. After his khaki victory in 1918 Lloyd George asked. Churchill to rejoin the Gove»rn<m<?nt ajid, to everyone's amazement, he appeared in the new Cabinet as Minster of Wax. He bag incurred the drre displeasure ii moet peojrte by liis plan to re-dress „ ie army in scarier., at a cost of £3.000,WX); Wt it is bi s Russian policy which has brought the serverest and juetest criticsm on hie head., He is a Democrat, but a Tory Democrat, and his hatred and fear of BoHhevism are profound. He is prepared to «ro to any lengthe to overthrow the Soviet Republic in Russia, and is not afraid to do, on 'his own respons : bility, what his colleagues (have hesitated to approve. Although his Russian policy has undoubtedly discredited him, ho remains one of the greatest forces in British politics. CHAJS.AGTERISTICS OCF THE MAN. He is still young, only 46, "rcvoltingly young," as one of bis critics has stated, and he can afford to wait. Many people assert confidently that he will yet foe Prhne ilin-ister of Great Brrta'n. In the sketch already referred to, Mr. Gardiner weH portray-ed his character Among other ttiings, he wrote:— "So one has crtated -the iprmciples of Liberalism with such hread+Jb. as he has done; no ott© "has preocihed peace w'.t-h more fervour, economy ■vritih more conviction, 3.nd socuii Tciorm "wii'ii a more iiiriiliosr break in the voice; or, on the other hand, presented an unexampled naval expenditure wifch such an adroit end .iiaarm-'ng appearance of sad necessity. Each task, however subversive of former tastes, flnde Ihim perfectly equipped, for he always 'knows his subject, and convinces himself first. Hβ i> direct, reste bis case on a tftaln argument, and avoids afl the dValetical cobwebs by which the Cecils delight the urteSeot and bewilder the public <Q3« appearance and he utterance are agamst him. His rnititra!! habit is ebullient and pro-vocative. Hβ oaed to be rude, and defiant: he Saw changed all that. Hβ ties become do discreet as a family livwyrr, a> decorooe as a churchwarden. Th© spirit is still there, but it is eiutnd and bridled, β-nd obedient to Ha imperious master. Behind a>l his action, iotrewr sodden or hea<Jlong, there is the calculation of a singularly daring and far-sighted mind—& mind that surveys the field with the eye of the strategist, -weighs the forces, estimates the positions, and, when the hour has come, strikes with deadly enrenese at the vulnerable place. Another critic said of him the other day:Mr. Churcbin carries great gnus, but his navigation is uncertain, and the flag Ihe flies is not a symbol which stirs the blood. His effect on men is one of Interest and curiosity, not of admiration and loyalty. His power is the power of gifts, not character. Men wetch him, but do not follow him. He beguiles the reason, but nerer warms the emotions. You may see in Tifm the wonderful and lightning movements of the brain, but never the beating of a steadfast heart. He has almost every gift of statesmanship, and yet, lacking the central force of the mind which gives strength and power to character, these gifts are for ever at the sport of circumstance. His inconsistencies assume the appearance of ehifts and dodges.—"Stead's Be-