J51 



The Review of Reviews. 



February tO, 1905. 



Photograph by] 



Mr. R. B. Haldane, 

 Secretary for War. 



II UHl* 



too much reason to fear that it any similar crisis 

 arises they will again be found lacking in the funda 

 mental qualities of statesmanship. No Liberal 

 could have supported the Boer War who was nol 

 ignorant of the elementary facts of the situation, or 

 who did not allow his judgment to be overpowered 

 by the passion and prejudice and the delirium of 

 the moment. Everyone now sees that the war 

 was a ghastly blunder, and an altogether wanton 

 crime. It might have been averted by accepting the 

 repeatedly offered proposal to refer it to arbitration. 

 But Sir Henry was warranted in assuming that the 

 men who fell under the stress of temptation have 

 now seen the error of their ways, and with penitent 

 hearts seek office in order that they may to some 

 slight extent make amends for their past offences. 

 Therefore he did not hesitate to draw largelv upon 

 his reserve of goats. Sir Edward Grev he made 

 Foreign Secretary, Mr. Haldane he made Minister 

 of War, and Mr. Asquith Chancellor of the Ex- 

 chequer. In each of these three offices these 

 Liberal Leaguers will be compelled to confront, 

 day after day, week in. week out, the disastrous 

 results of the policy which they were weak and 

 foolish enough to support. Carrying generositv to 

 the verge of prodigality, the Premier garnished his 

 Cabinet with the supernumerary figure of another 

 vice-president of the Liberal League in the portly 

 person of Sir Henrv Fowler. He might have gone 

 a step further, and have converted Mr. Perks into 



a Cabinet Minister. But he mercifully spared us 

 this. In the administration of the Duchv of Lan- 

 caster Sir Henry Fowler will find a harmless em- 

 ployment for such leisure as he has to spare after 

 quitting the chair of the National Telephone Com- 

 pany. 



The "Cabinet as formed is put together with a 

 view to an inevitable reconstruction at no distant 

 date. Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman will pro- 

 bably go to the Upper House when he reaches his 

 seventieth year. If Mrs. Asquith can be prevailed 

 upon to release her husband from the treadmill of 

 iety, Mr. Asquith may have enough energy left 

 in two years' time to lead the House of Commons. 

 If not, the leadership will pass to Sir Edward Grey, 

 or — no improbabit solution— to Mr. Winston 

 Churchill, who will then enter the Cabinet. The 

 Marquis of Ripon, Sir Henry II. Fowler and Mr. 

 John Morley — unless the atmosphere of the India 

 Office proves unexpectedly exhilarating — will pro- 

 bablv hand over their portfolios to younger and 

 re ener r irs. Mr. Bryce, who will at 



seventy shrink from the perpetual crossing of the 

 Irish Channel, will find some easier post than the 

 Irish Secretaryship. The vacancies thus created 

 offer tempting prizes for the younger men, who are 

 now on their promotion in subordinate offices. This 

 will make for efficiency, and render it more easv to 

 maintain discipline. 



If- THE CONSTITUTION OF THE 

 CABINET. 



The Cabinet consists of nineteen members, from 

 whom the inner Cabinet is chosen by a process of 

 natural selection. The inner Cabinet of Lord Salis- 

 bury in 1895 consisted of Lord Salisbury and Mr. 

 Balfour, the Duke of Devonshire and Mr. Chamber- 

 lain. It is difficult to say off hand who will form 

 the inner Cabinet of 1906. Sir Henry Campbell- 

 Bannerman is, of course, its central core. If the 

 inner Cabinet was selected according to the offices 

 rather than to the office holders, it would consist 

 of the Premier, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, 

 the Foreign Secretary, the War Secretary, and the 

 First Lord, who is also the Leader of the House of 

 Lords. But this would leave Sir Henry face to face 

 with three vice-presidents of the Liberal League, 

 without anv other support than Lord Tweedmouth. 

 On matters of Imperial defence this inner Cabinet 

 might do. But on questions involving the general 

 management of affairs from day to day, it would 

 not do at all. Probably there will be more than one 

 inner Cabinet. The Imperial Defence Council as 

 constituted above would be the first, but there would 

 be others created ad hoc for dealing with Irish, 

 educational and social reforms. The political and 

 personal sympathies of Sir Henrv Campbell-Ban- 

 nerman would probably lead him to regard as his 

 most trustworthy intimates in partv management Mr. 

 Herbert Gladstone and Captain Sinclair, in Irish 



