On Friday, August 30th, the Pall Mall Gazette printed a
communication from a correspondent stating that Lord Salisbury would resign the Premiership and retire from office soon after the Coronation. The communication went on to suggest that Mr.Ealfour would be Lord Salisbury's best sue e,essor. We have stated elsewhere our belief that the Pall Mall Gazette is not likely not only to have published, but to have endorsed, the communication in question without ample warrant as to its correspondent's veracity and knowledge, and we may say here_ also that the rumour is on the face of it reasonable and likely. Persons competent to express an opinion have for some time been saying that Lord Salisbury was feeling the long- continued responsibilities of office, and would be likely to take the first opportunity to retire. Such an opportunity will be given him by the Coronation. He could not have left the public service at the very moment of a change in the occupancy of the throne, but that objection will not operate at the end of next June. That Mr. Balfour should succeed Lord Salisbury is not only inevitable, but, in our opinion, greatly in the public interest.
Previous page
