In 1895 he became President of the Board of Agriculture,
and his tenure of that office will be memor- able because he stamped out rabies. He had to overcome a furious popular opposition largely based upon ignorance, and when his courage had brought him complete justification and victory he gave the credit to his subordinates. In 1900 he became President of the Local Government Board, and in 1905 he undertook the terribly difficult post of Chief Secretary for Ireland after the resignation of Mr. George Wyndham. Any policy labelled " Unionist " was bound to be unpopular in Ireland, but Mr. Long almost achieved the miracle of making his administration popular. The Irish Nation- alists admired him unreservedly as a sportsman. It need not be pretended that he had great intellectual gifts ; but he had character and that self-denying passion for public service for which this country owes a deep debt of gratitude to many men of the class to which Lord Long belonged.
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