I have naturally been led to deal more fully with his public career than with his private life. With the exception of the first two chapters and the last, this story lies in a period of only ten years—from 1880 to 1890, and not less than half of its compass is concerned with the succession of fierce political crises which disturbed the years 1885 and 1886. The epoch is brief; but so crowded is it with incident and accident, so full of insights and sidelights upon the workings of party and constitutional machinery in modern times, that it deserves the closest examination. And I hope it may be attributed to the author’s failings, and not to the actions and character of Lord Randolph Churchill, if the reader is not attracted by an authentic drama of the House of Commons.
WINSTON SPENCER CHURCHILL.
Blenheim Palace, Woodstock:
November 1, 1905.
CONTENTS
OF
THE FIRST VOLUME
| [CHAPTER I] | |
| 1849-1874 EARLY YEARS | |
| PAGE | |
Blenheim—Woodstock—Birth and parentage—Childhood—Cheam—Eton—Thefamily borough—Merton—The Blenheimharriers—Life at Oxford—Cowes 1873—Miss Jerome—TheWoodstock election—Marriage | [1] |
| [CHAPTER II] | |
| 1874-1880 MEMBER FOR WOODSTOCK | |
The Parliament of 1874—A maiden speech—A social quarrel—Ireland—Atthe Little Lodge—FitzGibbon and Howth—TheHistorical Society—Irish politics—Butt and Parnell—Thebeginnings of obstruction—An unguarded speech—Irisheducation—The Eastern question—Correspondence with SirCharles Dilke—The County Government Bill—The IrishFamine Fund—Ministerial embarrassments—Lord Beaconsfield’sletter to the Duke of Marlborough—The GeneralElection of 1880—Mr. Gladstone’s triumph | [58] |
| [CHAPTER III] | |
| 1880-1883 THE FOURTH PARTY | |
Position of parties—Tory depression—Bradlaugh—The originof the Fourth Party—The four friends—The Employers’Liability Bill—Fourth Party tactics—Differences withleaders—Sir Stafford Northcote—Activities of the FourthParty—The Fourth Party and Lord Beaconsfield—LordSalisbury at Woodstock—Correspondence with Wolff—Joyousdays | [119] |
| [CHAPTER IV] | |
| 1881-1882 IRELAND UNDER STORM | |
Outbreak of the storm—The Parnell movement—Irish speeches—TheCompensation for Disturbance Bill—The winter of1880—The Land League—The revolt of the Boers—Coercion—Mr.Forster’s misfortunes—The Kilmainham Treaty—TheClosure—Lord Beaconsfield gone | [172] |
| [CHAPTER V] | |
| 1883 ELIJAH’S MANTLE | |
The war in Egypt—The Conservative leaders—Minor tactics inthe House of Commons—Correspondence with Sir StaffordNorthcote—The Beaconsfield statue—Lord Randolph’sletter to the Times—Party displeasure—Elijah’s mantle—TheAffirmation Bill—The Primrose League—An Ishmaeliteat bay—His father’s death—An interlude | [224] |
| [CHAPTER VI] | |
| 1882-1885 TORY DEMOCRACY | |
A period of crisis—Conditions in the House of Commons—Conservativeparalysis—The new champion—Power and popularityof Lord Randolph Churchill—The Tory Democrat—A‘Trilogy’ at Edinburgh—The Blackpool speech—The Birminghamcandidature—‘Peace, Retrenchment and Reform’—Torydemocracy and Fair Trade—Tory democracy and theConstitution—The Church of England—The main achievement | [268] |
| [CHAPTER VII] | |
| 1883-1884 THE PARTY MACHINE | |
A daring enterprise—The Fourth Party: final phase—The NationalUnion and the Central Committee—The conference atBirmingham—The proceedings of the new council—Disputewith Lord Salisbury—Lord Randolph elected chairman—The‘charter’ letter—‘Notice to quit’—A declaration ofwar—Close fighting—Lord Randolph resigns—Satisfactionin the House of Commons—Dismay in the Conservativeparty—Intervention of the provincial leaders—Lord Randolphreinstated—Progress of the conflict | [302] |
| [CHAPTER VIII] | |
| 1884 THE REFORM BILL | |
Embarrassments of the Ministry—‘Too late!’—The advent ofthe Reform Bill—Divisions in the Conservative party—LordRandolph and reform—The ‘mud cabin’ argument—Powerof Lord Randolph Churchill in the House of Commons—Thesecond vote of censure—The Reform Bill in the Lords—Conflictbetween the two Houses—The conference of theNational Union at Sheffield—Lord Randolph’s victory—Agreementwith Lord Salisbury—The autumn campaign—Astonriots—The Aston debate—Correspondence withChamberlain—Differences with Gorst—An Indian voyage | [332] |
| [CHAPTER IX] | |
| 1885 THE FALL OF THE GOVERNMENT | |
1885-1785: a comparison—Increasing weakness and perplexitiesof the Ministry—Lord Randolph returns—His authorityover the Conservative party—Penjdeh and the Vote of Credit—Correspondencewith Lord Salisbury—Lord Randolph’sattacks upon Mr. Gladstone and Lord Granville—The CrimesAct—A mortal blow—Strange constitutional situation—Relationswith the Irish party—Defeat of the Government—Athreefold crisis—Formation of Lord Salisbury’s First Administration—LordRandolph refuses to join—The Interregnum—LordRandolph’s own account of these transactions—Appealsof various kinds—At the Inns of Court—A Parliamentaryincident—Sir Stafford retires—Euthanasia of theFourth party—Moriturus te saluto | [375] |
| [CHAPTER X] | |
| 1885 THE ‘MINISTRY OF CARETAKERS’ | |
Lord Salisbury’s difficulties—The last of the Woodstock elections—Thenew ministry—A truce at Westminster—A legislativefeat—‘Maamtrasna’ and its consequences—Lord Carnarvon’sopinions—The ‘empty house’ meeting—The PrimeMinister’s reticence—The Conservative Cabinet and HomeRule—The election campaign—General confusion—The‘unauthorised programme’—Parnell’s demand—The lines ofbattle—Lord Randolph’s exertions and activities—A visitto Dublin—‘Come over and help us’—Dispute with LordHartington—The ‘boa-constrictor’ speech—The contest inBirmingham—Popularity of the Conservative Government—Thepoll—Victories of Tory Democracy in the boroughs—Theloss of the counties—The Birmingham Election—‘Lowwater-mark’ | [423] |
| [CHAPTER XI] | |
| 1885 AT THE INDIA OFFICE | |
A serener sphere—The Council of India—Lord Randolph inoffice—Railway development in India—Mr. Moore—TheRussian crisis—The Afghan boundary—Correspondencewith the Queen—Increase of the British and Native Armies inIndia—Appointment of Sir Frederick Roberts—The IndianBudget in the House of Commons—Lord Randolph and LordSalisbury as letter-writers—The Bombay command—Resignationof Lord Randolph Churchill—Correspondence—LordSalisbury yields—Settlement of the dispute—Conquest andannexation of Burma—The New Year’s Proclamation | [474] |
| [APPENDICES] | ||
Three Election Addresses, 1874, 1880, 1885 | [527] | |
Further Correspondence relating to the NationalUnion of Conservative Associations | [537] | |
Lord Randolph Churchill’s Explanation of His Actionin regard to the Reform Bill, 1884 | [550] | |
Lord Randolph Churchill’s Letters from India, 1885 | [554] | |
ILLUSTRATIONS TO THE FIRST VOLUME
| 1. | Lord Randolph Churchill, 1883 (Photogravure) | [Frontispiece] |
| TO FACE PAGE | ||
| 2. | Lord Randolph at Eton and at Oxford (Photogravure) | [12] |
| 3. | Lord Randolph and His Father (Photogravure) Lord Randolph and His Mother | [28] |
| 4. | Lady Randolph Churchill (Photogravure) | [72] |
| 5. | Member for Woodstock (Photogravure) | [108] |
| 6. | The Fourth Party (‘Vanity Fair’), by Leslie Ward | [168] |
| 7. | Athwart the Course (Cartoon from ‘Punch‘) | [232] |
| 8. | A Dream of the Future (Cartoon from ‘Punch‘) | [252] |
| 9. | The First Diploma of the Primrose League (facsimile) | [260] |
| 10. | The Waits (Cartoon from ‘Punch‘) | [472] |
‘Heard are the voices,
Heard are the sages,
The worlds and the ages;
"Choose well; your choice is
Brief and yet endless.
Here eyes do regard you,
In Eternity’s stillness:
Here is all fulness,
Ye brave, to reward you;
Work and despair not."’
—Goethe.