In unveiling a memorial tablet to Mr. Rhodes at the
Oxford Examination Schools on Wednesday Lord Rosebery delivered a speech eloquent and brilliant, and yet in no sense marred by over-emphasis or decorative rhetoric,—a kind of speech of which he possesses almost is monopoly. Unfortunately, we have not space to quote any of the striking first-hand stories he told of Mr. Rhodes. We must protest, however, against the notion that all those who opposed Mr. Rhodes in his life- time believed him to be a man bent either on personal ambi- tion or upon money-making. We were amongst the strongest opponents of Mr. Rhodes, but we never failed to realise or publicly to admit that his intentions were patriotic, and that he had no wish to make money in order to spend it on luxury or personal gratification. The gravamen of our charge against Mr. Rhodes was that he was unscrupulous in his methods, and believed that the cause of the Empire might be advanced by what was once described as "the policy of the open cheque- book." In our opinion, he defeated his ends by his means. It is far better that the Empire should advance slowly than that the tone and spirit on which it rests should be lowered by any use of unworthy means or unworthy instruments.
Previous page
