MR BONAR LAW

Evening Star, Issue 18280, 21 May 1923, Page 8

MR BONAR LAW

RESIGNATION ANNOUNCED.

ACTS ON MEDICAL ADVICE,

Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright.

• LONDON, May 20. (Received ALay 21, at 11.50 a.m.) Mr Bonar Law has resigned on the urgent advice of his doctor.—Reuter. THE FATEFUL BULLETIN. DECIDES PRIME MINISTER'S COURSE. "LONDON, May 20. (Received May 21, at 12.50 p.m.) Downing Street has issued a communique stating that Air Bonar Law’s voyage did not improve his health. On his return to London he was examined by his medical advisers, who issued tho following bulletin, In spite of bus rest, the Prime Minister’s voice is still unsatisfactory. We aro unable to promise an improvement within a reasonable time. The state of his general health is not good. In consequence of this document Air Bonar Law placed his resignation m tho hands of His Alajesty, who has been graciously pleased to accept it.—A. and N.Z. Cable. Following an adverse vote at a meeting of the Conservative Party at the Carlton Club on October 19, 1922, Air Lloyd Georgo tendered tho resignation of his Ministry, and the King asked Mr Bonar Law to form a Government. He assented, and it was decided to dissolve Parliament. Tho General Election was held on November 15, with tho result that there were returned 347 Conservatives, 142 Laborites, 59 Liberals, 69 National Liberals, 2 Nationalists, 1 Sinn Feincr, and 5 Independents. Air Andrew Bonar Law is sixty-four years of age. He was Chancellor of the Exchequer, 1916-19; Colonial Secretary, Alay, 1915, to 1916; Parliamentary Secretary to tho Board of Trade, 1902-05. Ho succeeded Air Balfour as leader of the Unionist Party in 1911. Before taking up politics he was a Glasgow iron merchant. A AIODEST STATESMAN. . 111-health was the cause of Air Bonar Law resigning from the Coalition Governin 1921. Tho triumphs which ho has won in public life have been to a rare extent triumphs of character. There is no statesman who has a greater reputation for honesty and entire unselfishness. He subordinated himself to Air Lloyd George, when the latter became head of tho Coalition Government, and his promotion to the highest office, following tho revolt of the Carlton Club, which occurred in October last, was again, on that occasion, entirely unsought by him.

“ The ' only trouble about the Prime Minister, regarded as responsible for being the chief trustee for the permanent interests of the Conservative Party,” said the ‘ Saturday Review ’ recently, “ is that he, unlike most of the party loaders of the past century, is notoriously not ambitious of power for its own sake. Ho would probably be just as happy out of office as in it.”

A writer in the ’ Spectator,’ expressing recently “some impressions of the House cf Commons by a now member,” asked tho question t “ What is the secret of the Prime Minister’s astonishing command?” and answered it as follows: —“ Frankness —bis opponents say calculated frankness; and they are right to this extent: that the Prime Minister's simplicity of manner is as highly artificial as the best prose or as Sir Gerald du Manner's studied nonchalance. It is tho medium through which lie has learned by experience that tjie House best likes him to express himself. There was a. time, when he first led the Unionist Parly before tho War, when his parliamentary manner was so different a? to call from Max the well-known cartoon of ■ him with a drum and his deposed leader with a violin. says Mr Balfour, admiringly, ‘what verve! "What brio! . . . What an instrument!’ To-

day Mr Law's repose, his studied gentleness in debate, is the nearest approach to Mr Balfour’s easy, languid way in all the House. 110 has the quality of making people listen without raising his voice. “ But that is all manner, and would go no distance towards giving him Ids preeminent position were it not for the matter—the homely common sense, the original point of view, the stealthy Scottish humor with which lie illumines all he savs.”