CHANGEFUL CHURCHILL.

NZ Truth, Issue 110, 27 July 1907, Page 8

CHANGEFUL CHURCHILL.

THE CORUSCATIONS OF A CHAMELEON, Lord " Randy Tandy's " Son ; j ' — - 1 His Remarkably "Rocky" Record* J -HflW He Escaped from South Africa— His Drastic Deaanciation of His Present Political Pals.

11. is,. lfldeeaV a' cu'rlous collection ulthat has crept into power m Great ; (Britain ! One of the collection, Lord '"'Randy Pandy" Churchill's son, Mr' -..'.Winston Spencer Churchill, is so coruscating a chameleon that he deserves, this time, to be dealt with i-y himself. Churchill is the man who : airily disposed of some of the Liberal lies spread broadcast m England ;, at the last election by calling them "terminological inexactitudes." This 5s how a contributor to a London newspaper describes and "deals with" ithe remarkable "record" of Winston ..Spencer Churchill :— Sir,— lf ever^' country gets thc -government it deserves, it would be interesting to learn what Great Britain has done to deserve Mr Winston iChurcbill.. The Colonial Under-Secre-tarys^ip, demands tact, good man;_l.(ei_s,- high' principle, and serious pur- ... (Pose-, and, above all. stability of character.- •An .administrator lacking ■-■■-. (these.- qualities must, from that .position be a source of widespread mischief and positive disaster. Let. us see what sort of claam bis past performances have established to the confidence of the British electorate The publi-c can but deal with his public conduct and utter?aices. Before bis brief excursion to South 'Africa, whence ha escaped by. prematurely LEAVING HIS FELLOW-PRISON-ERS, , ; with whom be bad agreod to ' make 'the attempt oonjointlv, we find bim iraying at Bradford, July 14, 1898, .at the opening of a new Conservative Club, "Tbe Radical Party m London avas composed, of p-r-igs, and prudes, and faddists." ("Morning -Post.,". July 1(5, 1893.). This agrees well witli ona of his MrKest pronouncements after bis 1 return, when he .said at Warkwortb, August, 1900, that "Radicals as a class were very peculiar people. ■-'.' a, squabbling. disorganised rabble, 1 ftrbo had neither a purpose, plan nor j)ower." Further, be asked whether his audience "were going to 'leave •the great issues at stake m their bands." And he declared the "position of thc Liberal Party to be forJorn and lamentable," stating tbat, '"it . reminded' bim of some hoaryiieaded prpfiisate. overtaken m bis old age by the results pf the sins and follies of his youth." ■' In the same speech ho remarked that the Radical Party "exhibits more CURIOUS TYPES OF, ECCENTRICITY botii of character and opinion than any other political body had ever succeeded m doing m all history--" At Oxford, April 27. 1901, he ob-w-cved that "-the Radical Party was not dead . . .it was hiding from the public view like the toad m a "block . «f coal, but wben it stood forth m, ats hideousness the Tories would have to hew tbe filthy object limb from Jimb." N« wonder that on May 18,-, same (year, lie should pledge himself tbat '"lye was not such a vain and. foolish creature' as to be seduced fnom his allegiance to the Conservative Party by the fulsome and gushing flattery of the Radical Press." t On June 15 bo makes further progress; and informs the wof-ld that '"there were a great many measures •wfaicji the Conservative PaJrty must ideal with. Because they were tlie .party which really and truly represented the determination and the desires of the working classes m Eng--aand, • they must be prepared to grapple with great -social and industrial questions on proper C-onserva/tive lines, as otherwise they .wouild be

dealti witli by the Radical Party mischievously and ineffectively." HIS PROPHETIC VISION, This view is not surprising when one refers and finds that at Birmingham, June 1, 1899, be bad reviewed Sir W. Harcourt's policy and decided, that its "principal features were attacks on property, attacks on the Church, attacks on the Houses of Parliament, attacks on the liberty of the subject ,* the defences of the Empire are to be neglected, the bonds of union which' connect its widely scattered parts are to be sufiered to decay *.- finally, the very heart itself is to be riven m twain by tbe establishment of a separate Parliament m Ireland." If Mr Winston Churchill were to retire from all other business and set up as a prophet his reputation would be unsurpassable. But there is much evidence to 'justify regret that be has not confined^ himself to this vocation. At Manches-"' ter, March- 19, 1902, be asserts that "tbe Liberals did not extend the selfgovernment of the Colonies to keep the Colonies, nut to get rid of tb'em.". Harking back to the process of bis formation of political convictions, we find that at Plymouth, August 17, 1900, HE WARNS THE COUNTRY : : "Tbe Radicals always starved tlie fighting services ; the = Conservative Ministers %-cxc our only bone m these, military matters." And, still preserving continuity, at the Constitutional Club. London, November 12, 1901, he asks : "Why was it that this motto of our Radical opponents— peace, retrenchment, and reformbecame so . discredited ? \ . .'lt was because the Radical Party, with characteristic unwisdom., as usual carried j them to success : because they were i and are prepared 'to purchase peace at. the- price of dishonor, ' to push- economy to the verge of recklessness, and to allow reform to degenerate into destruction." At Birmingham, Beoember 4, same year, be remarks that "it is a curious fact that under Conservative govterniments you can gst quiet times at home and disturbances abroad, and under Liberal Governments you get i r^uiet times abroad and shocking disturbances at home." - This is rather A" MAIMED UTTERANCE, taken merely ars a prophecy, as only half is true. We obtained tbe conditions of permanent peace abroad under the last Unionist Government, and -the present Administration bad no alternative but to continue to maintain the national treaties and policy, bnt as regards the other half of Mr W. Cburobill's dictum there is overwhelming pcoaf of the accuracy of bis perception as a political seer. As early as 'Mav 8, 1899 (at Paddington) be infers that "the Radicals, having attempted to break up Parliament and attacked the House of Lords, m the future would not hesitate to assault the Throne." At Barnsley, October G, , 1900, ho describes the Liberals as "the party which sought ta divide the Empire." In South Westmoreland, June 15, ■1901, ho apeaks of "those measures of social disturbance which the Radical Party always like to bring-forward." THE "HALL-PORTER." At Bow, February 19, 1902, be said : "Never was a man m a more miserable position than Sir H. Camp- j bell-Bannerman. . -. . He had sat so | long on the fence that the iron had j entered into his soul. There was nothing left td him; but to pursue a flabby career, to endeavor to express two opposite opinions at the same time,

to win the respect of no section, and to maintain a disreputable sovereignty over a most scraggy territory, of public opinion."

At Manchester, March 19, same year, he said, "The Liberals are pledged to abolish tbe House of Lords."

So much for mere talk ; now,- how about acts ?

Somo time before' the last general election, Mr Winston Churchill, went over to the Radical Party. No definite explanation- of this reversal of all he had previously said and done was vouchsafed to the public until on January 11, 1906, be- stated at Manchester, which bad elected him to Parliament as a Radical, upon which he had received the appointment from that

"MISERABLY-SITUATED"- ' POLI-

TICIAN, Sir Henry Campb'ell-Bannerman, of the Under-Secretaryship of tihe Colonies :■' "I admit I have 'changed my party.. I don't deny it. I am proud of it. When I think of all the labors which Lord Randolph Churchill gave to the fortunes of the Conservative party, and tb© ungrateful way m which lye was treated by them when they- obtained the power they would never have had but for him, I am delighted that circumstances have enabled me to break with them while I am still young, and still have the first energies ot -my life to give to tbe popular cause." The "oircumstance" alone apparent is tbe offer to tbe right honorable gentleman of a post with a salary of £1500 per annum. But it is impossible for a sentence to be more closely packed with "terminological inexactitudes" ' than this, or one more truly flattering to the intelligence of bis auditors. There is no pretence tbat patriotism influenced him. it is by bis own . admission simply a question whether the retaining fee was good enough. Since his receipt of the thirty pieces of silver, which it seems that "miserable" Radical Premier felt it would be worth his while to 'give- for 'the support ofthe "first" energies of his youth, he, to do him justice, has fulfilled bis part ofthe contract to •tbe best of bis ability, and has not allowed any anxiety regarding the memory of the public to abash him. "NO SHRED OF INDEPENDENCE FOR SOUTH AFRICA." In August, 1900. having just got back from South Africa, be declared that "be was convinced that no j shred of independence should be given to tbe two States (Transvaal and Orange)., but that they must come entirely under British' Government." Ho paid a tribute to Sir Alfred Milner, and said tbat "bis rem.ov.al would be a heavier blow, to Imperial interests than all our military reverses." -At Oldham, May 10, 1001, be praised Sir A. Miln.er m the j strongest terms, and said that "all kinds of falsehood, slander, misrepresentations which the distorted imaginations of rebels and Pro-Boers could invent- -bad been directed against this able man." In May, 100.1, - speaking of pro-Boers, lie said "be | had always thought a really good liar ought to go to China, but be would not like to send these proBoers to China because tbey would corrupt tbe morals of tbe Chinese. Ho I thought tbey would have to po" to a place -much more remote than China, and that was the only place where tbey would find scope for their peculiar talents-." I This paragraph' IS SINGULARLY -SUGGESTIVE. It-, indicates that early concern for the moral health of the Chinese/ which has since become so conspicu-f ous, and also that expert knowledge of the nature of a lie which ult'i-. mately crystallised int A bis immortal definition, already quoted. But there is, ■besides, another celebrated . definition, the force of which be and his Governmental colleagues must have often thoroughly appreciated : "A lie is an abomination unto the Lord, but. a very present help m time of trouble." ' But now that" he is Colonial UnderSecretary, we find tbat be bas given practical independence to the Boers, and that ,Mr By] es. M.P., the arch pro-Boer, is (March, 1906) "full , of sincerity and good feeling." This is his own particular discovery.

' One of the first objects of t'lie new Government was to hound Lord Mil-

neir out of office, and m this way they displayed almost unique unanimity. It is scarcely worth while to occupy space to comment upon Mr Churchill's action regarding, the New Hebrides Convention, and tho truthful manner m which he reported the attitude of tbe Australian Coloniesin connection with it. We -have a not less remarkable example of his regard for veracity a few days ago m relation to Sir Robert Bond and the Colonial Conference/ and a characteristic speech' m which he resorts to that faculty with which Nature bas endowed him m common with the cuttle fish, for emitting something ! DARK AND NOISOME to. escape danger. ■I will conclude my quotations from this eminent statesman 'with- the following :— ' Manchester,- October 9, 1905. ("Times,". October 10, 1905.) "No indictment against tlie Unionist Government ! Why, a gentleman of earnestness and conviction might well be deterred from embarking, upon such a monstrous and herculean task. If be were to talk morning and night for six weeks, and could condense into a sentence what another would say m an hour, he would find that be would not be able to do justice to the situation, and that- something bad escaped bis attention or could not be included m the limits of bis summary."

Now, I ask those rational members of tbe community who may have been deluded into voting for this ornament of their party whether tbey- can conceive that m Bedlam anything more insane bas ever been ' uttered by. A' RAGING LUNATIC. * Have we really -got. the Government which we -deserve ? Then, indeed, poor old England's deserts are small. When so many worthy,, sincere, and capable citizens are "on the verge of hunger" (notwithstanding the cheapness of food and the inestimable blessings of "Free" Trade), may not an elector of a free country express his belief that a person who has portrayed his own character m tho foregoing- autobiographical extracts lias "not tbe best, not to say even -a decent, claim to the position which the exigencies of the Radical Party have compelled them to confer upon him ? It must be a wonder to anyone'who innocently look's upon politics as thc-sci:c:ncc by which men of good will and honest, single-minded •purpose desire to promote the happiness and welfare of their fellow-citi-zens, to fynd that men who unquestionably have no other aims oan consent, to join a Government which was unable to dispense with the services of Mr Winston Spencer Churchill. 11. CROUCH BATCHELOR. " London.