ALL EYES ON SIR EDWARD GREY

NZ Truth, Issue 477, 8 August 1914, Page 7

ALL EYES ON SIR EDWARD GREY

Britain's Silent Pilot of Diplomacy

Implicitly Trusted by Peers and People.

A Stern Man, Almost an Ascetic — Next Liberal Primo Minister.

In view of the declaration of war by Austria and Germany on Servia and Russia respectively, and the probability of Great Britain becoming ctnbroll'cd m what hits all the appearance of I developing Into a irreai European holocuust. all eyes throughout Uto British j Dominions nntl America are turned towards Sir Edward Grey, the Motherland's Secretary of State for Foreign ! Affair »f. • | &ir Edward Grey, Bntunot and | Knight of thy Carter, la hi* Majo«ty'ij present Seere uiry of State for Foreign Affairn, and probably tho next LI be nil [ l»rlm« Minister. Hu» present j;reul of- [ (Ice. gives him a nlaeu In the. council* of ih<i nation Mecund. to uonv, and Investis hla every uHentncc with a, itpocial Big-

ltttTcance. By him the nations . can measure not merely how Britain will act to-day, but how she will decide to-' morrow. To understand Sir Edward Grey's character it is necessary always, to bear two things m mind. He is an aristocrat of aristocrats, and the greatest living authority on fly- fishing. The [ first explains why he is m politics, noblesse oblige; the second reveals the temperament of the man himself. There is no nobler blood m England than runs m his veins. It was from his grandfather, Sir George Grey, that he inherited his title. The Greys of

Xorthumberland have made history In England as far back us English history can be traced, and this Grey has flung dry flies, as fjir ns a fishing rod can reach. That is the man and his hobby. He is fifty-two years of age this year, has been Foreign Secretary for more than eight years, and is the only person of a humbler title than that of Lord who has been decorated with the noble Order of the Garter, a special honor for which King George singled him out m 1912. ' Tho royal honor was well merited, for Sir Edward Grey has nobly fulfilled the traditions of his family expressed m their motto, "To serve the King with good will." , ENGLISH OF THE ENGLISH. Ho is English of tho English— cold, reserved, correct Jn pose and consistent In poise. .His character is held so high that if anyone tried lie could not spread a scandal about him; there is simply none who would, give It credence. Nobody believes he oould He, either diplomatically or personally. When ho rose a few weeks ago to mako his eagerly anticipated statement of British policy m Mexico tho House of Commons was filled witli an audience who Knew exactly the manner of speech he would make. It would be a plain, simple statement of the facts, and the decision arising out of the facts. Nothing histrionic— that would be impossible; and yet behind tho laconic there was the drajJfatic, derived from the sense of reserve and restraint all feel as he speaks. Gladstone said of him m his early days m the House of Commons: — I never knew m at man such riptitudo for political life, and such disinclination for it. H.ft never sat for any but the one constituency, which elected him at the ago j of twenty-three, and has goim on re- . electing him steadily all the way. nnd will continue until he offers himself no more. He has hold no ofllce but the Foreign Office, or Under-Seeretary from IS9J-1595 In Mr. Gladstone's Cabinet, and Foreign Secretary since 1905. And m this ugnin he lias made, another traditlou, for he is the first Foreign Secretary to hold that ofllce In the

lliu>s«> of Common*. 'l!h«< jiarlluinontary Hi-mngi'iin-nt to always to secure a ivptv«entallvo of the. groat otllces In oarh IlituHt' of Parliament, and while It was natural and proper for him to bo rnder-Serivtary for Foreign Affairs tv Lord H«iKfJjery m the Houko of l^ordx. It was wiiljoui precedent, to remain it Commoner and hold that olllco. He .should have carried tho portfolio across, the lobby, and seated himself upon tho acnrliu benches of tho noblo lords. H« did nothing of the kind. Ho was allowed to have his own way — because nu is Sir Kdward Grey. FORMERLY HELD BY A PEER. Tho. reason the olllcc of Foreign Secretary has always been hold by a peer I is thlH. thai bo dcUcato and secret arc 1»Ik undertakings that a flre of questioning from members of the House would not merely bo inconvenient, but perhaps positively dangerou^ Every Cabinet MinUtter may be asked any question, and upon bnlnjr given notice, must answer K. That Im fairly Hlmplo for tbe average dexterous Htatetsman. whom I*rovldencr< usually endows with a genorouß vocabulary of tho nnn-rommUUil kind. But then comon the ilenuty supplementary ijue«llon, .phrased on tho moment ami to bo

. answered- on the moment. ! Think of what might happen if ai Foreign Secretary m the Cqnunons was unbalanced for that second-in -rebJch^Ul i fateful things are done; There lies tho 1 danger of the Foreign Secretary-being i m the House of Commons. But Sir Edward Grey was^ the man 1 to sustain the precedent he had--cre*at-ed. He visits the House only once a week to answer; questions on Foreign Office day, Thursday. Occasionally he is pressed into tho sendee of the Government to take part m "what issued a full dress debate. But on tbe whole, he has abided by that -wisest maxim given to man to -avoid hia troubles: "Mind your own business." Foreign affairs are his business, and v lie is attending to it. Then his speech ; is so simple and direct. He says what he is willing to say, and, no more. If he is further questioned he may add a "NO, sir," but most probably he will just rise and say, "I have no tiling further to add." and sit down..in a silence only thecfoolhardy would attempt to disturb. A TYPICAL ■ STATEMENT. His statement on Mexico '-was' typi-. cal. He had decided to~take jio step that could embarrass the United States Government. Therefore, although an Englishman had been 'brutally murdered l by a gentleman 1 who ia anxious to teach, m a country that certainly needs it, the moaning of "constitutional" government, yet>thero was nothing to be done. Sir Edward just asked'the critics of his policy to suggest what action, and practical steps could possibly be taken, adding that he was very willing to take them instantly the opportunity I offered. That closed , tho^incidentHfrom tho -House of Commons point of 'view. none doubting, however, that there-will one day be a reckoning. But this is not the first llmolhat ;Sir I Edward Grey has guided Britain j through some anxious days. At. the end of 1911, it will be remembered,' tho British fleet was out in'' tho North.- Sea for threo days and threo nights -without lights, with tho torpedo nets dropped and decks cleared foe action. How war with Germany was avoidod onthnt occasion is as great a mystery as'howr war with Qermany was threatened. But it was tho second 'incident' of its sort since the Liberal Government ctpo into office, and men do not pass days of that kind and not ago. But ho has kept the peace m tho days that are past, and striven. to secure peace for tho days that are to* come, aad British relations with Germany up to a few days ago seemod happier than ov^r. But war is always^born of silence and In darkness. The popular clamor is ever the last effect of those silent men whoso whispers shout across the seas, and wiioso echoes are the reverberations of guns. Sane men dread war, seek to avert it:yet they havo never been powerful enough to hold down the madmen who can only settle their differences ort terms of death. But if Sir Edward Grey ha« to announce war, depend upon it, he will do it m the same calm even tones with which he would? open a flower show. A GREAT PERSONAL SORROW. Y«t of all men he has known tho tragedy of a great personal sorrow — a sorrow that hns marked him with tbo furrows of pain suppressed and given to his eyes a depth and expression that only men who have watched th« treasure of the heart toko wings can know. For tho year that gave him a placo In public life, when a mere lad of twenty- threo, gavo him his peace In private life, when he nisirried tho daughter of a neighboring miulro, Miss Dorothy Wlddrington. Sho shared his political lifo nnd sportsman's life. At times of genonil election aho would start at ono end of the constituency and ho at the otk«>r, ho that there should be two mooting*! In each plnc«\ nnd it is not too much to say that sht> was as popular with tho nudiences na ho. And always was fiho with him m that othnr groat part of his Ufa when he whipped tho silent streams for trackless trout. Then came tho great day when King Edward mnUo him his Secretary of Stale for Foreign Affairs. A few weeks later, whilst m Tendon on affairs, he received a telegram that J Lady Grey had met with an accident, 'and to return at once. A speclul train ■ rushed through thn night, but he found ! her with her skull broken: them hud \ been a carriage accident In his own I park at Falloden. I There remained for him his work— t ■and her memory. Ho gn.vi> It to bo understood that he never wished It rofcr- ' nd to, and shortly returned to his work m London. He slid nut of all public 1 functions nnd bognn nnd has continued : t<> .spend his week-ends nlono m it little cottage on the side of the Thames iwlth just a rann-Horvaul to look after : him. Ho has never since varied In his dross, Just a black morning coat and s black tlo. Ho Is an ascetic, almost v ri'duMo; but his adopted motio, of Vigil nnd Vigilance, enables him to offer hi* country the services of si, lofty mind and a truaty servant. Tho man who kvcim his vigil kecpH his vlgilumro.