HIS LIFE AND WORK.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13097, 23 April 1908, Page 7

HIS LIFE AND WORK.

Sir Henry Canipboll-Ba.nnennan was he second son of Sir James Campbell, >f Forfarslurt , , at ono time a merchant >r Glasgow, and was born in 1836. In 672 ho assumed the name Bannerman mder the -vrill of his maternal tmclo. fis political career commenced in ISGB, when ho wae elocfted for •Stirling, which constituency ho rapre-i-entod continuously until his death, fn 1871 Mr Gladstone appointed him Financial Secrotary to the War Office, vhich position ho held until 187-1, and again from 1880 to 1582, when he went to the Admiralty. After two years there he was appointed Chief Secretary for Iretand, and in 18S6 went to tho War Office. When Mr Gladstono came back to power in 1892 he was given his old poet at the War Office. He had established a reputation for imperturbable good humour at the Irish Office, tLo most trying position in tho Cabinet, but few could hare seen in him a future leader of the party. Mr Parnell is reported to have made some interesting observations about Sir Honry. Mr Barry O'Brien was onoo discueeing various Liberal politicians with, "the Chief," and said, 'Thoro is Campbell-Bannerman, I hear that he is % very good fellow, and ho made about as good an Irish Secretary, as any of them." "Yes," replied Parnell, "I daro cay he is a very good fellow, and as an Irish Secretary ho left things ak>no (with, a droll smile), a eeneiblo thing for an Irish Secretary." In his famous railway conversation with, Lord ltibblosdaTo Mr Parnell was equally entertaining. "Mr Campbell-Banner-man/' said Parnell, "was the man they could not stand; no impression could over be made on him." Mr Parnell tried to remember "something about a buJ>'e hide and brazen front," which was quoted about Mr Campbell-Ban-nerman by somebody. "It was very good," said Mr Parnell seriously. "but 1 never remember poetry." What, however, ho clearly did remember, wae that Mr Campbell-Bannerman had proved a very tough, customer. This was not because ho waa not conciliatory. On the contrary, ho was eminently conciliatory. But lie could' never bo worried, or driven, or cajoled. He laughed everything off. His plan, said Mr Healy, was "to govern. Iriehmen by Scotch jokes." QJir Coanphell-Bannerman wae . a nsMßtbetr of Lord Hartkngton.'s Corar m-iseion- •which enquired into tie organisation of the WW Office, and opposed the* proposal to create a Gen*©ra] Staff, lack of which was to cost the army dear in. tho second Boor war. But, he did the army an invaluable service in. his second term as Secretary for War. He got rid of tho Duke of Cambridge, the Commander-in-Cnief, whose presence at the War Office was believed by reformers to bo fatal to the chances of real reform. The Queon strongly reseated the movo to get her cousin, out of tie wa Jj out the Government got ite way. "Previous War Ministers of both parties had shrunk in fear and trembling from touching the Queen's cousin," writes a biographer. "Mr Campbell-Bannerman, did it all as a» incident in- the work. What, however, is characteristic of the man equally with his determination, to do a necessary piece of work, wee his manner of doing ft. I remember spoa-king at tho time with one who wae behind the scenes and well acquainted with all that had been going on. 'CampbellBannerman,' said my friend, ' might well feel proud of himself for the way. in which he has don* this piece of work. What plots and countorplote there have been, you may imagipe. However, CampboU-Bannerman was imperturbable. He not only got the Duke to reeign, but ho persuaded tho Duko that he was his beet friend, and that he was acting in his interest and. for his dignity. Such, as you and I know, was the fact, but it is ono of those facte of which it is not always easy to convince the aggrieved party. But Camphell-Bannerman did it. They say that an oven, rooro exalted Person came to bo of Campbell-Baiuiennan's opinion too. His conduct, ot the affair has •been called a 'tour de force.' It was really a triumph of tact.' " No sooner was tho Duke of Cambridge removed than the Liberals wore unexpectedly defeated on a motion condemning tho supply of cordite as insufficient for national safety, and tho Government resigned. The Minister for War was, of course, responsible for tho supply of ammunition, but, as he racplained, he made it a practice to mko the advice of his professional advisers in these matters, and these experts had assured him that the supply in hand was sufficient. In the last yoar of the Government's Kfo the Speakership of tho House of Commons fell vacant, and he aspired to tho post, only dropping his candidature at the urgent reqi*eet of his front bench colleaguos. He was rich and easy-going, and the post was one of the most coveted w English public life, but he put the claims of party before his own strong inclination. Badly beaten at the electrons, tho lilberal cam© back at sixes and sevens. Lord Rosebery resigned the leadership, and delivered speeches repudiating the Liberalism of , Gladstone. Sir William Harcourt found his position as leader in the House of Commons intolerable, and resigned. Sir Henry CampbellBanner mpm was again called on. to sacrifice himself for his iparty, and wa3 not found wanting. The task he entered on would have daunted most men. " Never Avithin my recollection had any leader of a Liberal party in the House of Commons come into a position of such difficulty and dieheartenment as that which Campbell-Ban-nerrnan had now to maintain," wrote Mr Justin McCarthy. "It has, of oonrso, often been the lot of the Liberal party to oome into the. Hems© of Commons with diminished numbers, and have to carry on as best it cotikl be done the battle against a Conservative Government of overwhelming numerical strength. But the peculiar trouble which beset Canrobell-B an nerman was that he could not count upon the allegiance of all his nominal followers. Ho kn<>w that so long as ho showed himself determined to maintain the nolicy of Glndstone he ooukl reckon without fear on the support of such men as Harcourt and Jofin Morley and Brvce. Put there wore able men among those who occupied the front bench of Opposition on whom he knew ho could not always count, men who were publicry dieplayintr themselves as the political associates or followers of Lord Rosebery. Campbell-Bauner-r-an went boldly and steadfastly on. n<n-er faltering in the least. Ho upheld the time-honoured creed of genuiio Liberalism, ' never doubted clouds •ouM break,' aEd by his -words end 4s bearing inspired with fresh, oourajw ,B'any a genuine Liberal whoso faith iraa not /altering, but whose* • bones

Then came the South African *rar, on which Sir Henry took up an *t.tittido which, caused him to be disliked throughout tho Empire. Ho jot only opDosod the war, but c-rilicked tno conduct of the troope in scries "which, aroused groat indignation. His phrase, " methods of barbarism," was never forgotten. His criticism of British methods onopurasvd Continental detractors. Wliat the leader of the British Opposition sayc>, we have a perfect right to say, was the answer of the German Press when reproached with slandering our troops. In 1900 Lord appealed to the country on the war question and won. But it wiw not long" before the Government to lose, ground. The mistakes of the war were laid at their door, and tho report of the Royal Commission was a tremendous indictment of incompetence and lack of foresight. Thoir Education Bill roused the Nonconformists. The fiscal controversy raised by Mr Chamberlain divided thoir ranks, and while an avowed Protectionist ruled at the Exchequer, the ordinary man did not know clearly what wore the Prime Minister's views. The Opposition seized on the Government's embarrassment-and kept up an incessant attack. The by-elections went steadily against tho Government, and at last, at the end of 1905, Mr Balfour resigned. Sir Henry Ci'.mpbcllBannerman was sent for, and the highest reward in politics went to tho man who had led his party through the wilderness to within eight of plenty. Sir Henry Campbell-Banner-man formed a Ministry, and at the elections which followed swept the country, coming back with the greatest majority of modern tiinee. How }w> used it is recent history. A few weeks ajjo he resigned, owdng to hria iHnese.

A CHARACTER SKETCH. Mr W. T. Stead wrote the following character sketch of Sir Honry when the latter' became Prime Minister:—Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman is not a flighty rhetorician, neither is he an artful dodger. Still less is he a haughty patrician; He is a plain, honest, respectable, good-humoured Scot, wary and canny beyond most of his countrymen. A man standing firm upon his feet, with a cool head and a warm heart, who, for the last thirty years and more, has lived in the heart of the Empire. Ho is a man of seasoned beliefs, of eteady enthusiasm, and of a very wide experience of men and of affairs. Above all he has always played the game. Ho has nover deserted hie party when it got into a difficulty or thrown over a colloaguo to save his own skin. Two tributes paid to him by his chief opponents may well be recalled at tliis moment. I had remarked many years ago to Mr Baifour that C.-B. was our W. H. Smith—the eturdy, practical newsvendor, who for many years was Leader of the Conservative Party in the House. "I quite agree," said Mr Balfonr, "bat he is much cleverer than W. H. Smith. 1, The other tribute was paid to him by Mr Chamberlain a couple of years ago. "What nonsense," said Mr Chamberlain, "some people are talking about the next Prime Minister. There is only one possible Liberal Premier. I detest C.-B.'s principles, but he is t3ie only one of the lot who always knows his own mind, who has the courage of his convictions, who .is aiways ready to face tho music and nover fails to play the game." Sir Henry Campbell-BanTie'r-man h«e gone through life without making a personal enemy. Hβ ie a cheery, simple, unaffected, genial man, who has a way with him of disarming hostility and of winning tho devotion of those who work with.him. Hβ makes no great professions of any sort. Hie sober but effective oratory never rises to the prophetic strain. Hβ is neither a platform moralist like Mr Morley, nor a ekilful oratorical purveyor of pyrotechnics like others who need not be named. Hβ docs not wield a rapier, nor does ho delight va the use of the bludgeon. Has weapon is the plain', old-fashioned, two-handed sword wit»h which, Eke Hal o' the Wynd, toe has often done good execution upon , fcris foes. He is not a wit lafke Mr Lloyd-George, nor does he spend his strength in the fasbaoirmg of epigrams. He is a clear-thinking, plarn-epcaking straightforward man, who never loaves you in doubt as to where he stands, or what he means, or whitber he is going. But he is of canny Scotch caution, all compact. In my "Album of Notables of Britain" you will find his autograph. I had asked him what passage, quotation, text or dictum had been most helpful to him in. his political career. His answer was, "AH things are lawful unto mc, but all things are not expedient." But he is no more a time-eorvor than was the original author of that saytng. The quality which more than any other has ondeared him to the majority of the electorate is hie resolute courage. He haa never truckled to the howling mob or paltered with the troth to gain the cheers of the gallery or to catch voles at an election.