BRITISH AND FOREIGN NEWS

Grey River Argus, 4 August 1908, Page 1

BRITISH AND FOREIGN NEWS

SPECTATOR SUMMARY.

(For week ending 23rd May.) ISSUES AT THE NEXT ELECTION

Unless the Unionists and the House of Lords are willing to adopt the mad policy of trying to snatch a temporary party advantage by a compromise on the suffrage question, this means that the next General Election will be fought on the quiesion of votes for women. We sincerely trust that the Unionists will refuse all compromise, and wiU propose instead a democratic scheme of redistution — that is* "One vot« one value," coupled wth a fcjstem of proportional representation (i.e., six-membered constituencies and the single t'rasferable vote)— -and will also no; insist on. maintaining plural voting in iis present, indefeasible form. In ou opinion it is most foolish to regard the' plan under which borough freeholders vote in arbitrarily selected county divisions as one of the pillars of the Constitution. The struggle promises to be. an epoch-making 0110, but if the Unionist Party will only fight with courage and honesty, victory is certain. " „_,- T THE MOBMAND EXPEDITION. The expeditionary force in the Mohmand country Has besn sercusly m. gaged. The fighting began north of Nahakki. One picket lo & t 'eight uien killed and several wounded, and had to be reinforced during Saturday ni« tit On Monday, according to The Times correspondent, General Barrett s-bn-gide carried- out punitive operations in- the Bohai Dag. There was hard figbtng'and both sdes of the valley had to be cleared fey the infancy. During this movement the 34th Piotioers were chiarged ;tfy a party of swordsmen, all of whom were bayon-•et.-.d There were twenty-seven casuals in General- Barrett's brigade. Sir James- Willcocks the troops on Tuesday, and speoially priis ed the men of the 2nd Punjabis, who had defended the picket on Saturday night. The native officer ia comimand was twice severely wounded, but concealed the fact till he died, and a signaller, though wounded, never ceased his work till reinforcements arrived. ' On Wednesday, Umra Kil'li, which was occupied in force by the enemy, was | attacked by General Anderson's brigade. The attack was delivered late in the day, but was necessary owirig to . scarcity of w;ater. The «fcribeslmen fought with greafc brav^iy, nrZ^^ff sword rushes -from, time to time, and our troops were impeded by 7a dust stoim and by the standing 7 corn in wlr.rh the tribesmen hid themgtelvcs. As the attack could not be pressed honvi in the daylight, General Anderson withdrew, aiid this encouraged the enemy to attack the British camp during the night but without much effect. Vwo.Briish officers were killed during the day. The Times correspondent says that the endurance of the troops has been heavily taxed ; vhey have I 3 1 lit'.le rest day or night, and the difficulty of getting water in'thc hot valleys has been very gfeat.

RUSSIA AND FINLAND

. Ie the: Duma on Monday M: Stolypin- made a l'oijg statement on the- relations of Russia and Finland. T T e reviewed the history of Fin'artd fnm its cession to Russia by Sweden, ard declared that the Finnish authorises had persistently infringed the prer">pr at : ve= of the Crown. Armed organisal ons like the Red Guard formed, and the police failed to suppress Russian Tielforhts who bached plo.s

*i'hin the Finnish border Lews and ord'nahces affecting Imperial intoiests were often made ia Finland withot consoil'iing with the Imperial Go/-, crn ment yet the Treaty of Cess* n hud given Finland no such right. ' VJhi* ' ma.ely M. Stolypin explained his pro- '1 posa* to. co-ordinate thip laws of Russia and of "Finland, in all Imperial matter «. Tke 7 Times 'coirespondent says thai the speech made ao concessions 1 to the party which demands a revival of the Bobrikoff iQgimfc, and that it proved Constitutional 'weals to be tak- ; ing root. Of course a Constitution, in Russ'a requires a; readjustment of the old relations of the central Government With all its offshoots. Constitutionalism in Imperial affairs willj we ibeleve, be a sialfegua.r4 of Russian lib-. ertv. When its ramifications are wide-' spread, retrogression will be very difficult, if not impossible 'EDUCATION— WILL THERE BE A COMPROMISE? Reviewing the education debia.t« as a wh&le, we think ye are justified in saying that the.prospects of peace are somewhat brighter; All depaeds on whether the Nonconformist* will insist OH their ful pound of flesh. If they do, then 1 no doubt the representatives of moderate Charch opinion — . who we firmly belijv^ iare In the majority—Avail be forced back into taking common Action with the extremists. If, on the other hand, th« Nomcpnformistsl will take to hesairtvthe Shakespearean advice and remember that •thcugh one may have a giant's strength (in the natter of a Parliamentary majority) it is tyranhous to use it K'ke ! a giaat, all may yet be well." Magna-_ nimity never yet injured a man or acause. The Noncoifonmists -must also teme«ber the vau ||ea^ tem f *ation , to which Church'naei? who are also" : strong: party men, %<b exposed at the present moment. Unquestionably the party game, aft politicians understand' it, i<? to refuse a. comipromise, a»d to do nothing to let the Government out of the very awkwaid and difficult position in which they are placed. Here, ■ indeed, Unionist Churchmen may also Temember the Shakespearean motto we have just quoted. Mr Runciman niu'vt- aiso remember, however, thatv the Arfhbishop of Canterbury is in a ; very difficult position owing to the • fact that the moat active; though not largest, party in the ChuTch is almost ,as anxious for its pound of flesh as, Dr Clifford and the extremists who follow him are for theirs COMMEMORATION OF THE FALL OF QUEBEC. A most succ«ssiful meeting- was held at the Mansion House on Friday week tn support of the Wolfe and Montcalm memorial at Quebec. - Lord Crewe delivered an interesting- address^ paying a we!l->reserved .tribute to Lord Gr'e»' t arid Lord Roberts, in an admirable speech, eulogised the great qual-* kic* «f the two rival commanders. Fron* a merely military point of view the campaign was of absonbing inter- 1 esf, as "Woilo did not hesitate to try an absolrite innovation in military formation on the field of battle itself. The closing scenes of these two men's lives were a perpetual ifminder to us of the true value ojFlpatriotism. Prince Arthur of Connaught also spoke, urging the establishment of local commitItees to co-operate.^^ with^^— thev,-cen!tral coriimiTtee^in cotfeqting'sn'DScriptidns.