“LABBY.”

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 33, 22 January 1912, Page 3

“LABBY.”

Henry Labouchere, the picturesque, independent Henry Lajbouohere, more often as not known as. “Labby,” tlio famous editor of VTrutli,” was the eldest son of the late John Labouchere, of Broome Park,’Surrey, and nephew of the late Lord Taunton. He was born in 1831, and was educated at Eton. He entered the diplomatic service in 1854, and was successively Attache at Washington, Munich, Stockholm, Frankfort, St. Petersburg, and Dresden. He was appointed Third Secretary in 1862, Second Secretary at Constantinople in 1863, and retired in 1864. In 1865 he entered Parliament as Liberal member for Windsor, but in April, 1866, he was unseated on petition, and from 1867 to 1868 sat for Middlessex. In February, 1874, he unsuccessfully contested Nottingham, but in 1880 was returned at the head of the poll for Northampton, and afterwards sat for that borough, his fellow-member for some years being the late Charles Bradlaugh. Mr Labonchere was subsequently returned as a strong Gladstone Liberal, and 1 was one of the most energetic supporters of Mr Gladstone. Ho expected, if not office in the Gladstone Government, the offer of a post, which he would have been proud to decline. That he was passed over, ho attributed—we believe wrongly—to the influence of' Lord Rpsebery. He never disguised bis antipathy to ‘Rpseberyism, and was never induced to bow the knee in''that ’direction. He liked lords socially, and ho catered for the “upper suckles” in the columns of “Truth,” but. he-detosted tically. On t sth March, 1886, Mr Labonchere moved a resolution in the House of Commons condemning the hereditary principle. This was resisted by Mr Gladstone, then Prime, MinisteV,’j...op the ground that he had’ never supported an abstract .resolution unless’he was.prepared to fallow it up by action, and' that the time for this had not arrived. On a division the motion was. negatived by 202 votes against 166. On 9th March, 1888, Mr Labonchere again moved his resolution in the House of Commons, which was again defeated.' In the session of 1894 ho moved an amendment to the Address condemning the hereditary principle, which was carried by 147 to J 45. The Government, however, holding that this was not the way in which a great question should be raised, withdrew the Address, and carried another without the insertion.- Had this Bill become law, it would have had the effect of putting an end to the’ existence of a hereditary House of Lords. In March, 1894, Mr Labouchere was conspicuous in his opposition to Lord Rosebery being appointed Premier. He headed a “cave” of some twenty members who wore understood to have been in favour of Sir William Harcourt’s Premiership, but he eventually withdrew his opposition. He sat on the Jamieson Raid Royal Commision, and the extreme pertinence of his questions ivas not a little perplexing to the Rhodesian party. For many years Mr Labouchere was proprietor and editor of “Truth,” and was part proprietor of the “Daily News.” He married in 1868 Henrietta, daughter of James Hodson, Dublin. Mr Labouchere was an omnivorous reader and of abstemious habits. Ho dressed so badly that Sir Charles Russell once accused him of doing so in order to reduce the damages in an action for libel, and he would, if possible, order his boots by the score from a machine-made bootshop in his beloved Northampton. Many amusing stories are told of him. When he was in the late Queen Victoria’s diplomatic service (he was then twenty-nine years of ago) he failed to put in an appearance at Constantinople at the appointed time, and formal enquiry was made as to the reason for the delay. In due course a letter arrived at the Foreign Office, stating that, as inadequate provision had been made for his travelling expenses, and that as his private moans were limited, the Attache was walking, and would in due course reach the shores of the Bosphorus. On another occasion, when the same young gentleman was stationed at Washington, and aggressively irate countryman called and demanded to sec the British Minister. “Not here! Then I shall wait till ho conies.” “Very well,” replied the Attache, “pray take a chair.” The visitor waited, and waited. “Was the Minister likely to bo in in another hour?” “I think not,” replied the imperturbable Attache, blandly. “The fact is he sailed for Europe on Wednesday, and can hardly yet have reached Queenstown. But, you know, you said you would wait till he, came in, so I offered you a chair.”