DUKE OF DEVONSHIRE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13708, 26 March 1908, Page 5

DUKE OF DEVONSHIRE.

DEATH FROM PNEUMONIA

END OF A GREAT CAREER, By Telegraph.—Press Association.—Copy right. London, March 21. The Duke of Devonshire has just died at Cannes, at the age of 75 years. (Ileceived March 25, 9.10 p.m.) London, March, 25. The Duke of Devonshire succumbed to pneumonia, contracted at Cairo and aggravated by the fatigue of the journey to Cannes. His Majesty King Edward has sent a message of condolence to the Duchess of Devonshire. The newspapers pay warm tributes to the deceased statesman's memory. The Daily Chronicle describes him as " a great Englishman." There are many signs of mourning in the localities with which the Duke of Devonshire was associated. The Marquis of Ripon, the Marquis of Lansdowne, and Lord Rosebery, in the House of Lords, and Mr. Asquith and Mr. Balfour, in the House of Commons, paid tributes to the late duke's sincerity of conviction and devotion to duty. (Received March 25, 10.50 p.m.) London, March 25. On the motion of Lord Rosebery the House of Lords adjourned as a mark of respect to the late Duke of Devonshire. The Duke of Devonshire, who was born in 1833, twice refused the Premiership. As Lord Hartington he led the Liberal party upon Gladstone's: retirement in 1874, but separated from it over Home Rule, and till 1903 led the Unionist party in the House of Lords. The late Lord Salisbury offered to serve under him in a coalition Ministry, but he yielded place to the Conservative leader, whom he actively supported. In 1868 he was appointed PostmasterGeneral, holding office until 1871, and from 1871 to 1874 Was Chief Secretary for Ireland. By this time he had become one of the recognised leaders of the Moderate Liberals, and in 1869, as chairman of a Parliamentary committee, had helped materially to convert public opinion to the principle of voting by ballot; nevertheless, the political world was somewhat surprised when, in February, 1875, he was chosen to lead the party. His strong good sense and perfect straightforwardness enabled him,, however, to fill the difficult position of opponent to Mr. Disraeli with entire success ; and, despite one or two revolts below the gangway, he kept the Liberal party together, and led them to victory at the polls in 1880. Eetumed for Radnor Burghs and N.E. Lancashire, he elected to sit for the latter constituency, and was asked by the Queen to form an Administration. He declined, however, and served under Mr. Gladstone, first as Secretary of Stale for India, and from 1882 to 1885 as Secretary of State for War. An honest apologist for the foreign policy of the Liberals, he showed, nevertheless, a tendency to regard their views on home affairs with disapproval. Thus in 1883 he denounced the extension of the franchise to Ireland as "madness," and daring the election of 1885 his antagonism to Mr. Chamberlain was marked. The scheme for Home Rule for Ireland purporting to emanate from > Mr. Gladstone in December, 1885, met with his emphatic distent. After the secession of Lord Randolph Churchill, the second endeavour was made to induce the Duke (then, of course, Lord Harrington) to lead the Cabinet, but in vain. Eventually he filled the honorary office of Lord President of the Council, retaining it in successive reconstructions from June, 1895, to August, 1902. On the retirement of Lord Salisbury in July, 1902, he became Leader of the Government in the House of Peers, but resigned office in the Ministry in October, 1903, in consequence of the developments arising out of Mr. Chamberlain's fiscal proposals and his devotion to the principles of free trade. The late Duke of Devonshire remained a bachelor till 1892, when he married the widow of the late Duke of Manchester. As there was no issue of this marriage, the dukedom passes to his nephew, the Right Hon. Victor Cavendish, M.P., eldest son of the late Lord Edward Ca,vendish, and Liberal Unionist member for West Derbyshire. This will necessitate another by-election.