THE PRESS CONFERENCE.

Evening Star, Issue 14116, 20 July 1909, Page 7

THE PRESS CONFERENCE.

LOUD UOSKBKUYS ELOQUENCE. STIRRING SCENES .VC THE WHITE CITY. - \ MEMORABLE BANQUET. (From Ovr Special Correspondent.] LONDON, June 11. The groat Ktaquet given to the visiting editors fiom overseas by their colleagues of the British Frees will live long in the memories of tho.-e who were privileged to lx- pit-scot. No such gathering of journalists has ever leer, known fcefoie. “ Never in the post." us Lend Burnham expressed it, •• ho any man stood before a compact Iracy 'he most distinguished journalists of the British Empire.'’ Nix hundred diners were seated at the seventy tables hi the Hall ui Musk at the White City, t-hephe-d's Rich, and these included practically every >ae ot note in English newspaper lire, .is well as men ct light and leading irom the Press ot tire whole Empire. Presiding over the banquet was Lord Burnham, proprietor of the greatest penny paper m the kingdom, the ' Daily Telegraph,' ard at his table- were to be recti the Earl of Rosebery, Lord Northcliffe (who ca Mr Alfred Harmsworthbuilt up the vast newspaper organisation which includes the ' Daily Mail,' the ' Daily Mirror,’ and a host of other papers), Mr Kennedy Jones (Loid Northcliffe's "right-hand man ”), the editor of ' The Times,' the editor of the 'Standard,' and the Archdeacon of London. At each small table tne visiting delegate was seated with a group of' British pressmen around him. so that guests and hosts might intermix as much as possible on terms of cordial informality. the great building was decorated in a manner befitting the occasion. Flags of all portions of the Empire drooped from the roof and hyng in festoons round the wails; the Hour was carpeted in deep maroon, -nd the tables were gay with brightly-colored flowers. On the platform, where the rand of the King's Colonials sat. a great mass of palms rose from a bed of white end yellow marguerites. It was a brilliant scene—a memorable, historic scene.

But the feature which above all others gave distinction to the gathering, the feature which will bo remembered - when other impressions of the scene have faded away, was the speech of Lord Rcsebery. “Wnat did you think of it?” I asked one of the New Zealand delegates afterwards.

"The most statesmanlike utterance I have ever heard." he replied. "I call it a history-making speech.”

And so indeed it was. Lord Rcsebery seemed to nave been inspired by the significance of a great occasion to rise to the full height of his oratorical powers. His speech was of its kind a masterpiece. Ho surprised f-ven those who hav-e often heard him speak be foie ; he eiu hunted those who listened for the first lime to "the public orator of the Empire.” From the opening sentences until his closing words Lord Kosfcery nMd that great audience —that most critical of audiences —under the spell of his eloquence. His speech was delivered under serious disadvantages. Fireworks were booming in the Stadium close by, and it- was difficult for any voice to carry to the extremities of the huge hall In which the- orator had to speak. But nothing could diet;.vet the attention nf his audience ami f hose beyond easy range of the speaker's voice left their tables and .came crowding in towards the centre, anxious not to lose single sentence of what ho had to sav.

The cables will have given you a precis of what he had to say, but they could not convey the persona! magnetism of the speaker. :he clarion-like voice, the fine presence, the easy yet dramatic delivery. They could hardly convey the delicate ranches of entire or the flashes of genial humor with which so much of the oration was tinned. Least of all could they give any adequate idea of the thrilling* effect which the orator produced upon his hearers when in vibrant tones he spoke of the dark menace of “a silent war” of armaments, and the need for a deeper sense of individual responsibility in the defence of the nation and the Empire. There arc Things that have to be seen and heard to lie realised. Banquets come and go; speeches are made and forgotten; but- this banquet and this great speech will lata Iked ofyn years io come by all who?privilege it was to rake part in the occasion. The editors from overseas will fate Lome with them a host of impression:, more or loss vivid and interesting, of there experiences .n England ; bet I make Md to say :hat no impression will be more lasting than the memory of the scene at the White City when Lord Rosebery bade them “Welcome home.” “THE WINDS OF THE EMPIRE.” Lord Rosebery began with a reference {c. the “ enormous "importance ” ot the gathering. It was no disparagement to the Conferences of Premiers and Ministers to o-av that- this was more important still. Prime Ministers were essentially transient bodies—except in Canada, he believed—whereat good newspapers were, or ought to b, eternal. This opening led to an analcyy between the colonial editors and the wind. ■it heaven in the Cave of King .-Bolus, in the JEneid. “To-night.” add Lord Res hery, amid laughter. “I am in the caver; of the winds of the Empire. . . . J an quite sure that when these winds go forth and these powers are exerted over the Em pire, on your return from this island, th, will be inherited for the benefit of the Em pire.” To the visiting delegates His Lordship gave as the motto of the occasion two words—“ Welcome Home.” Many of them laid never seen their home, but in the next fortnight they would see something tm matched in live world. The speaker sketched in telling phrases seme of the features of an ancient and stately civilisation—the old abbeys and cathedrals, the ancient college r, tin* little villages clustering about the heaven-directed spires as they had chaptered for. centuries; the anoesat mdluir of ail Parfcmneatsj the old booses. There

the squirearchy of Great Britain, had lived for centuries. From thgise more rural scenes the visitors would go to tit© teeming j communities which represent the mannfac- 1 lures, the energy, the alertness of Great Britain's commercial life. Then, last of all, surrounding all and guarding all, they would see a prodigious Armada—a prodigious but always inadequate Armada. A little piece of sarcasm this, at the expense of the naval alarmists. “ All these, gentlemen t,” he added, amidst cheers, “ are yours as much as ours, your possession, yonr pride, your home.” —Lord Rosebery's Dream.— Another point which gained applause was the suggestion that what the delegates brought to the Mother Country was that game message which the Prince of Wales brought back with him from his tour round the Empire: “Wake up, Old Country.” Lord Rosebery proceeded to take his audience on a delightful tour round the Empire. He had, he said, dreamed a dream—a favorite practice of retired politicians. He imagined the British Parliament touring the Empire in some of the obsolete warships. Tlie House of Lords could go on condition of paying their own expenses. That, he explained, was the difference between the two Houses—the House of Commons voted the taxes, and the House of Lords paid them! He would take the legislators first to Newfoundland, then to Canada, where "even under the meet advanced democracy a Prime Minister may hold his own against the successive buffets of innumerable general elections; then to New Zealand, where they would see most of the policies at which they aim, and which they were enedavoring to construct for the Mother Country, carried out under the advantages of a virgin soil, and a total absence of tradition and complexity. Then on to Australia, “that most marvellous continent, where everything is abnormal, even to the fact that a population of about twothirds of the population of the capital of this country is able to maintain seven Legislatures, seven capitals, and seven Ministers without any serious inconvenience.” Lord Rosebery humorously described the hunt for the Federal capital as the permanent sport of Australia. After completing a tour ot the Empire in a series of racy word-pictures, Lord Rosebery spoke of the topics that would engage the attention of the Conference, giving special emphasis to that of closer communication. “ It is perfectly certain,” he said, “that if you are to build up an Empire item only be by the freest knowledge of each other's wants and ideas. The thought of the Empire should circulate like blood through the body politic, and. like blood, should chiefly circulate through the heart." | —The Menace of Armaments.— The close of the speech was in serious | vein, and the effect produced was striking I and impressive. The mood of genial banter with which ho had begun gave way to an earnestness and forcible directness of utterance. In measured tones he spoke of j the hush in European affairs—“ a hush in ] which you might almost hear a leaf fall to ! tbs ground. ’’ What followed merits quotation in full. ; “Combined.” he said, “with this total : absence of all questions of friction, there never was in the liistory of the world so threatening and so over-powering a prepara.. | lion for war. That is the sight which I ; confess 1 regard as most menacing. “ For forty years it has been true that all the nations have faced each other armed to the teeth, and that has been in tsome respects a guarantee of peace. But now what do we see" Without any tangible reason, wo see the nations preparing new armaments. “ 1 think there are features of this general preparation for war which must cause special anxiety to the friends of Great Britain and of the British Empire. But I will not dwell on this to-night. I will only say this—that 1 will ask you

when you are in this country compare carefully the armaments of Europe with our preparations to meet them and give your impressions to the Empire in return.—(Cheers.) —Lapsing Into Barbarism. — “ I myself feel confident in the reservation and the power of this country to meet any reasonable conjunction of affairs, biit when I see this bursting out of navies everywhere, when I see one country alone asking for twenty-five millions of extra taxation for warlike preparation, when 1 see the absolutely unprecedented sacrifices which are asked from us on the same ground, I do begin to feel uneasy as to ,the .outcome of it all, to wonder where it is ever going to stop—if it is merely going to bring Europe back into a state of barbarism, or whether it will cause a catas--trophe in which the working man of the world, ii-t any rate, will e&y : ‘ We will have no mora of this nm-dneee and this foolery, which is grinding us to powder.’ —(Loud and prolonged cheers.) “Gentlemen, we can, and we will, bnild Dreadnoughts, or whatever newest type of ship may be—(cheers) —as long as we have a shilling to spend on them or a man to put into them.—(Cheers.) All that we can, and will do, but I am not sure that even that will be enough, and I think it may be your duty to take back to your Dominions Across the Seas this message and this impression, that some personal duty and responsibility for national defence rests upon every man and citizen of the Empire.—(Loud cheers.) Tell your peoples, if they can believe it, the deplorable condition in which Europe is lapsing into barbarism, and the pressure that is put upon this little England to defend itself, its liabilities and yours.— (Loud cheers.) “ Take this message alto back with you : That the Old Country is right at heart, that there is no failing or weakness in her, and that she rejoices in renewing her youth in her giant Dominions Beyond the >Seas. For her own salvation she must look to herself, and, that failing her, she must look to you.”They would return to their homes, concluded His Lordship, mkeionere of Empire, missionaries of the most extensive and the most unselfish Empire that had been known to history.—(Cheers.) As he began, he dimmed up what he had to say in two single words : “Welcome Home.” With all brotherhood and affection they welcomed them homo. SPEECHES BY NEW ZEALAND DELEGATES. The New Zealanders who spoke at the Press Conference were Mr G. Fenwick (Dunedin!. Mr Mark Cohen (Dunedin), and Mr W. S. Douglas (Auckland). Both Mr H. Brett (Auckland) and Mr Greeley Lukin (Wellington) were prevented by ill-health from taking any active part in the proceedings. Mr Brett, indeed, has been confined to his hotel throughout the week with a severe cold (contracted on the journey through Canada), much to the disappointment of himself and his colleagues. He has collected a good deal of material in connection with the cable rates question, and had hoped to put this before the Conference, but his unfortunate illness upset all his plans. On the opening day, when 'the question of cable rates was • discussed, Mr Fenwick was the only New Zealander who took part in the donate, and he confined himself to urging the Conference to accept the resolution appointing a committee to inquire into and report on the best means of cheapening the cable rates. He said that he would go back to Now Zealand with a feciing of humiliation if the Conference allowed this great question to drop. Mr Fenwick also took part in the dis- | cusaion on naval defence on the third day I of the Conference. He said the oversea ( section of the Conference had during the j last few days, as they listened to the great statesmen of the Empire, realised how utterly inadequate must be anything which they themselves could say to the gathering on the tremendously important subjects under discussion.—(Cries of “No, no.”) When the Conference was summoned I he never even dreamt of the supreme j importance it would assume. He believed • this was sufficiently great to ensure it being carried down in the history of the | Empire.—(Hear, hear.) At all events, | the delegates had been greatly impressed, | and they would carry their impressions I back to their own lands, and endeavor to j impress them upon their own people. ' —New Zealand’s Offer.— ! Referring to the offer by the New Zealand Government of a. Dreadnought to the Empire, Mr Fenwick said he had been told by Sir Joseph Ward (the Premier) that the Cabinet came to the decision to make that offer without consulting either the Parliament or the people of New Zealand; but when it became known the vast majority of the people enthusiastically approved of the action taken by the Cabinet, though it meant an expenditure of at least a million and a-quarter by a population of only about 1,000,000 people.—(Cheers.) Some people had said that an offer of a Dreadnought was not the best way of going about assisting the Empire. He conceived that it was.—(Cheers.) An offer of that kind was worth more than could be well imagined.—(Hear, hear.) It meant the generation of a feeling of patriotism and loyalty to the Empire to .which they were all so proud to belong, and it meant a very great deal for the unity of that Empire, and it would do a vast amount of good, not only in New Zealand, but in every part of the King’s dominions.—(Cheers.) Mr Mark Cohen spoke the same morning as seconder of a resolution proposed by Mr Theodore Fink (Melbourne) to the following effect: — | ’lhat -this Conference affirm the urgent' necessity of placing the defence of the Empire on the safest foundation; and to that end consider it essential that in each of the self-governing dominions systematic and universal military training of the male population should ix strenuously advocated. I Mr Cohen, speaking under considerable physical disability on account a had cold, said ho theartfly emhnwd the jrin-

ciple of the resolution. Where the State undertook the complete education of its youths it had a right to ask from them some return for its expenditure on their behalf ; In New Zealand they were spending over a million sterling on the young people in a population of only a million, and they thought they were entitled to demand from the youths some service which would enable them to do their duty in defending their country. Their national system of education was compulsory, and it was only an extension of that system to make military training -compulsory. He was willing to place his faith in the opinion of so famous a veteran as Lord Roberta in regard to this question. Arm-chair opinions were worth nothing at all. If Lord Roberts would only visit the Oversea Dominions in advocacy of universal training, it would do more than anything else to help the growth of that sentiment.—(Applause.) After some discussion, which revealed considerable division of opinion, Mr Fink withdrew his resolution, there being a general feeling that it should not be pressed to a vote. Mr Balfour, who was in the chair, remarked that after ail the only object of the resolution was to evoke discussion. Personally, he did not think that voting on the resolution mattered at all, and he doubted if they had any machinery' for taking a. vote. Mr Douglas contributed to the discussion on ‘ Literature and Journalism ’ on the fourth day of the Conference. He opened with a reference to Imperial Defence, and said -that New Zealand was ready to supply the Mother Country with men or. ships or money, for the people there recognised that their national existence depended on our ability to keep open for them the great waterways of the world.—(Cheers.) They must depend upon the strong arm of England. If that arm should fail, not only would the great glory of England pass away, but this stupendous and wonderful Empire, unparalleled in the history of the ■world, would invariably fall to pieces. In the Dominion they were simply waiting for a lead from the Mother Country. “Tell us what to do,” he said, " and we will do it.”—(Applause.) With regard to the subject for discussion that morning, he remarked that many articles in our newspapers approached, if they did not actually touch, high-class literature, though > he granted that some were little more than the “idle thoughts of an idle fellow.” The primary purpose of the newsapper, however, was not the cultivation of lettere, but the presentation of news. It had to present to its readers a concise, vivid, graphic, and interesting picture of the uncommon happenings throughout the world, and the new journalism had succeeded because it had known how to paint this picture. — (Hear, hear.) Though its critics had spoken of it with caustic severity, they had not been able to stay its progress, and he rejoiced to say that this great change had been accompanied by no lowering of tone or weakening sense of responsibility. He believed that the newspaper Press of this country and of the colonies was striving to maintain those high and noble conditions which had won for British journalism so ample a reputation.—(Applause.)

“ The newspaper,” said Mr Douglas, “ only misses Being literature from want 'of time.” Messrs. Cohen and Fenwick have been appointed members of the Committee who aae to report to the Conference on June Z5 as to the best means of effecting a cheapening of cable rates.