CAMPBELL-BANNERMAN DEAD.

Manawatu Times, Volume LXV, Issue 394, 23 April 1908, Page 5

CAMPBELL-BANNERMAN DEAD.

END OF A LONG AND HONOURABLE OAREER. ! Press Association.—-Copyright. Received April 23, 0.12 a.m. London, Last N.ght. «*' Obituary.—Sir Henry Campbell - Bannerman * ' The Right Hon. Sir Henry Camp-bell-Bannerman, G.C.8., P. 0., M.A , L.L.D., D.L., J.P., was born in September, 1836, being .the youngest son of the late Sir James Campbell, Stracathro, Forfarshire; he assumed the additional name under the will of a maternal uncle (the late Henry Bannerman, Hunton Court. Kent). He married Charlotte (who died in 1906) daughter of the late General Sir Charles Bruce, K. 0.8., in 1860. Hβ was educated at Glasgow University and Trinity College, Cambridge. He was M.P. for Stirling District since 1868, and Leader of the Liberal Party in the House of Commons from .February, 1899. Hβ was Financial Secretary to the War Office 1871-74 and 1880-82; Secretary to the Admiralty 1882-84; Chief Secretary for Ireland 1884-85; Secretary of State < for War 1886, 1892-95. He became Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury in 1905 and remained in office until his resignation, a few weeks ago, on aocoaut of the illness which has ter- j minated fatally.

"C.B.'S" PERSONALITY. * POPULAR AND HIGH PRINCIPLED. A GRAPHIC PEN PICTURE. Writing iu the London Daily Mail recently, Mr Sydney Brooks gave the following interesting appreciation of the dead statesman:—/ "I do not think the English people quite realised how much they had grown to like "OB." until his recent|illnese," says the writer. "I am not sure that even the Liberals were fully awara of their dependence upon his leadership until it was temporarily withdrawn from them. "ALWAYS ON THE SPOT." Thirteen years ago nothing could have seemed less likely than that 'O.B." would ever rise to the Premiership. Thirteen years ago the Rosebery Cabinet fell beoause "C-B.". as Minister for War, had neglected, or, rather, was made out to have neglected, to keep in hand a sufficient supply of cordite. It was a snap vote that pronounced against him, and on a purely departmental matter, but it was enough to turn the Government out, and to throw a certain shadow over "O-B.'s" career. As a matter of fact, "O-B" had proved a capable and extremely popular Minister—popular, I mean in Pall Mall. He rendered the country a great service in re-organis-ing the higher posts in the Army, and in his management of the War Office he showed, not indeed, genius, or anything like it, but good sense, tabt, and more decision than had been expected from a man of his intense good humour. As a colleague who was always "on the spot/'' always cheerful, loyal, and lubricating, he extorted from Lord Rosebery the memorable tribute— "I wish I had a dozen 'C-B.'s , in my Cabinet.'' The country generally both then and for many years after had no partioular opinion of "O-B." It thought of him, when it thought of him at all, as an average administrator, -whose, ding-dong pachydermatous disposition and gift for plodding had raised , him to the Front Bench and seemed likely to keep him there. He had achieved nothing that marked him out from the ruck.

THE BOER WAR CRISIS. "O-B's." elevation has been essentially an accident of an accident. Hβ was eleoted in 1899 to the leadership of the Liberal Party in the House of Commons—eleoted by a process of elimination. Sir William Haroourt had thrown up the task in disgust and despair; there was nobody designated as his successor; and the party turned to"C-B."as the second or third best. Hβ was never really the leader of the whole party; the Roaebery section gave. 'him no more than a oasual end halfhearted allegiance; and theOßoer war accentuated and aggravated all internal divisions till they approaohed a oataolysm. "O-B." stuck to his poet with unwavering stolidity. Hβ ■was in a hopeless minority both in and out of the House; in flank, rear, and front h« was pelted with'every missile of Parliamentary warfare; the Irish Nationalists formally broke off all relations with the Liberal Party; the country would scarcely allow a Liberal of pro-Buer opinions to open his mouth at any public meeting; and "O-B." ronsod the national resentment to white heat by dcelaring that the British Army was waging w » c in South Africa by "mathods of barbarism." All public men commit at least one blazing indiscretion. That was "O-B.'s" ; but,so farfasH can recall, it was, and it remains, his only one. His leadership, if leadership it could be called, was otherwise f™o from glaring errors. It had, indeed, some neeative merits of a not incoasideraole value. "C-B.'s" happy turn for insensibility never stood him in better stead. It kept him from ever being crushed in spirit by the most overwhelming defeats or the most depressing prospects. It enabled him to keep on fighting and to pick himself op again as though nothing particular had happened. , He developed, too, a pronounced strain of cirumspection. He took to writing out his speeches. Formerly si finished debater, with re.il command of humour and .epigram, he lost his spontaneity, began to weigh every word and wjQuld no longer trust himself to the inspiration of the moment. But if his oratory suffered, his amiability seemed only to increase, and for persevering plodding he displayed something like enthusiasm. Whatever hamjened. his followers knew that ?hey could roly on "C-B."; that thev would find him day after day in his seat in the House, missing, no doubt most of the chances that came along' but still "plugging away,' filling a gap, keeping up the pretaaoe of opposition never apparently, expecting results, and, therefore never disappointed when results failed to appear. TRIUMPH OF PLUCK AND PLODDING. The English people like pluck; and Bluck above all things, was the Juality of "C.8." consistently displayed. A reaction in his iavour v- %

began to set in. No man could be kicked so often and in so many places aud could take it so smilingly without winning the half-humourous attachment and admiration of the masses. Londoners, who have never been quite just to "C.8." could not realise that, whatever the clubs and the West End might think of him, he was building up for himself a position in the country. When Liberal unity became once more a fact, the leaders ami the rank aud file of the party were at one in agreement that "C.B. •" was the first to be entitled to profit by it. In the dark days uf schism and internal dissension he had kept the party together when a man with more definite opinions and greater force of character might easily havo wrecked it.. So the industrious apprentice had his reward and "C.B. "betame Premier. Nobody grudged'him the lionour, but few thought him equal to its Responsibilities. Few thought he could sustain the double burden of the Premiership and the Leadership of the House. Two years ago it was on all hands quietly assumed that "C.8." would repair to the seclusion of the House of Lords at the first convenient opportunity, taking the Premiership with him, but leaving the leadership of the Lower Hon.se in younger, firmer and more dexterous hands. And it gives the measure of "C.B.'s" triumph that to-day, even if such a development were politically possible, not a single orfe of his followers would welcome it.

PASTMASTER OF PERSUASION. You will hear people talking of the success of this Minister and of that, but the greatest success of the present Government has been " C. B." himself. lam only interpreting the non-partisan sense of the country when I say that "0.8.'5" development has been the pleasantest surprise his Ministry has afforded. His hold over the country, over the House, and over his party is some- ' tiling that two years ago would have been thought incredible. Yet no one exaggerates either his qualities or his attainments. Nobody ranks him as a great or a great intellect or a commanding leader. What people feel and see is that, like the lute Mr W. H. Smith he fills a very difficult position with a success that many abler men failed to achieve.

What is the explanation? It is to be found solely, I think, in the personality of the man. "C.8." has pre-eminently the gift of smoothing things out and reconciling the most opposing views and dispositions. Himself a monument of humorous commou sense, he radiates an atmosphere that makes for agreement, and co-operation. There Is nothing elusive or baffling about him. The suspicion of disiugenuousness is the last that would attach to him. His whole case is got up in good -plain black and white. A pork butcher could understand him.