GOOD OLD DAYS

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 April 1932, Page 9

GOOD OLD DAYS

EX M.P’S RECOLLECTIONS. Sir Alfred Pease retired from Parliament nearly thirty years ago; he tells -us that he has been associated with no political party since 1909. The only party to which he could give v, hole-hearted allegiance is long dead. For he is a Whig, and, in this book, mourns departed glory (writes W. W. Hadley in the “Sunday Times,” reviewing “Elections and Recollections,” by Sir Alfred E. Pease.)

“The light-winged hopes of youth r.ro flown,” ho says; “I know that I hall not leave the world better than I found it.” A hard saying, that. We are living in difficult times. Most of us would like to wipe out the- past L 7.1 years and take up the threads of ifo again in July, 1914. But how many, I wonder, share Sir Alfred , Pease’s view that the world was really octter seventy-five years ago than it is to-day ? To find in a passing remark excuse for pursuing that line of thought would be unfair to his very interesting retrospect. His political memories, though he achieved no great distinction at Westminster, are well worth reading. Ho shared the reprerenta-, tion of .York with Sir Frank l.ock- / cod, of whose clever political cariea..uiea a dozen are here printed for the first. time.

Despite hi" Whiggery, lie-was touch,d by ths flame of Gladstone’s pas•'on, and flung uimself into the Home Rule crusade with an ardour which will surprise those who have known him only since his political- activities ended.

ON THE HUSTINGS. His memory goes back to pre-bal itdays, when Parliamentary Candida! •• made their first appearance on th'hustings where non-clectors had t . privilege of pelting (hem with soft v < unsavoury missiles. In 1868 my brother and I wore both on the hustings, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the two Tory candidates get thoroughly pl rte 1 (Surtees and one of the namiltouRussells), and their friends catching it, at the same time as my father’s frock coat was streaming with putrid egg and Beaumont’s new top hat was knocked off by an egg which exploded on its brim.

Seventeen wears later, shortly after h's own election for York, he was out hunting with that staunch old Tory Jimmy Lowther, who gave him this friendly counsel: —

I Alfred, my boy, I spent £2OOO a i year in York when I was Member, and gave a present of game to every • lector at least once a. year, and they kicked me out. Ralph Creyke (Liberal M.F.) gave largely to everything, but never went near the Place, and they kicked him out. Fred Milj nm- (Conservative M.P.) was never , out of the place, but gave sparingly, | and they kicked him out. Take my tip, give ’em nothing and leave ’em , alone—you will fare just as well ami save yourself no end of bother. Other reminiscences carry us more than a century back. Sir Alfred accompanied his father to Richmond to call on Earl Russell (the famous Lord * *

John), who had talked with Napoleon and stood with Wellington in the lines of Torres Vedras. lie heard Gladstone talk of. the “three-bottle men,” but most of them, the veteran said, were only two-bottle men- —“not one lived to be 35, most never reached 30 years of.age.” And he knew The O’Gorman Mahon, who had fought thirteen serious duels and, at the age of 88, strode across the floor of the House of Commons and presented’his curd to an offending Tory.. Sir Alfred’s own knowledge of clubland gees back to the easy-going days

when Brooks’s gave unlimited credit and bills were sent in only once a. year. Ija gays'ho nearly-,had a fit the first I 'me one of the staff asked him to pay fm his dinner. It was Home Rule that destroyed the character of Brooks’s an a political club. Three black halls rejected a candidate- for membership. Unionists pilled ome Rulers and Home Rulers pilled Unionists; even Lie man who hud a sponsor from each side could not hope to get in. “Elections” were at last suspended, and only when poll* tics were ignored did the members ;; in live together "- pence.