LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
" PERSONAL " ELECTIONS.
[To THR EDITOR OF TIER SPROTATOR.1
waited with some interest to see whether you would take any notice of the rebuke given by the Daily News to your wishes that Mr. Gladstone should be forced to resume the leadership of the Liberals. As, however, you have not answered their charge of inclining dangerously to " personal " govern- ment, I should like to take the opportunity of this difference between two Liberal newspapers to revive, in a somewhat dif- ferent form, a suggestion which I made in your columns five years ago, but which, as I remember, you then completely mis- understood. You feel that the choice of a leader for the Liberal party is intensely important ; that a mere figure-head will not serve our turn ; and that we ought to try, if our principles and policy are to be respected, to get a man of genius as their authoritative exponent. I cordially sympathise with that wish. The Daily News fears that the plan of putting all our con- fidence in one great man tends to encourage a sort of irregular despotism and to check liberty. I sympathise with that fear. . But is there no way of satisfying your wish without running the risk described by the Daily News? Suppose, instead of choosing only our leader on the principle which you advocate, we tried, as fur as possible, to choose all our representatives on the same principle, so that we should have a majority of worthy exponents of Liberalism, and not merely the one great unit, followed by some hundreds of ciphers.
It seems to me that there never was an election at which it more behoved Liberals to throw off the old Whig falsehood, and to vote for men, rather than merely for measures. For what is the chief issue before us ? Is it not whether Parliament is to have a control over the foreign policy of the country, ,or whether it is the duty of " patriotic " Members of Parliament to allow their country to be dragged into unjust wars, if the Ministry of the day tell them these wars are necessary for British interests ?
Now, if Parliament is to be trusted with this power, must it not be respected P And can it be respected, if it is filled with men who are more bearers of .a party flag, and who are chosen without respect to their previously shown ability P I am not arguing, as you supposed before, for a new party ; nor am I arguing for returning candidates who glory in their in dePendence of all party ties. (So far as I have seen, that kind of politician is apt to be infinitely more one-sided and intolerant than any Whig, Tory, or Radical.) But I do say that, if Parliament is to be respected, we must choose the ablest Parliament we can get; and that if Liberal wire-pullers will not find really able .and trustworthy men, we ought, as Liberals, to vote for those who will most add to the dignity of Parliament, from whatever party, or no party, they are drawn.—I am, Sir, &c.
C. E. MAURICE,
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