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Vol. VI.

No. 6.

BOSTON.

June, 1894.

GLADSTONE'S SUCCESSOR IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. By Lawrence Irwell. SIR WILLIAM HAR'COURT, the new leader of the Liberals in the British House of Commons, is a man who has made his position entirely by his own exertions. Indeed, had he relied upon family influence, he would have been found among the Conservatives, his ancestors having, from time immemorial, been supporters of that party. Sir William was born in 1827, the second son of the Rev. William Vernon Harcourt of Nuneham, Oxfordshire, and was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated with high honors in 1851. About three years later he was called to the Bar, but some years elapsed before he made any great progress in his legal career. During his leisure he wrote for the " Satur day Review" and the "Times," over the signature of " Historicus," and these con tributions brought him considerable distinc tion as a writer upon international legal questions; they have since been published in book form. Mr. Harcourt, as he then was, devoted his attention to parliamentary practice, which means that he pleaded before parliamentary committees upon railway and other so-called "private" bills, which require a special act of the legislature and are investigated by a joint committee of both Lords and Commons. The nature of this class of practice debars barristers from membership of the House of Commons, and when, in 1866, Mr. Harcourt was made a Queen's

Counsel, he retired from active work at the Bar. In 1868 " Historicus" was elected member of parliament for the city of Oxford; in the following year his own University, Cam bridge, appointed him professor of inter national law; and in 1873 he became Soli citor-General in Mr. Gladstone's government, the honor of knighthood being ^t the same time conferred upon him. When the Liberal party was returned to power in 1880, Sir William was nominated Home Secretary, and, upon accepting the appointment, the representation of Oxford became vacant. An election then took place — it was only a few weeks after the general election — and, to the astonishment of every body, the Home Secretary received 54 votes less than the opponent (Mr. Hall) whom he had defeated quite easily during the previous month. An enquiry showed that the city of Oxford was a very corrupt constituency, and it was disfranchised from 18 81 to 1885; Sir William Harcourt was provided with a seat by Mr. Plimsoll, " the sailor's friend," who kindly retired from the representation of Derby. It will be remembered that from 1881 to 1883 the present Premier, Lord Rosebcry, was attached to the Home Office as Under Secretary, a position which he resigned in the latter year, some people say because he found it impossible to work with such an overbearing chief as Sir William Harcourt; other people insist that the young Earl pre