SPEECH BY LORD ROSEBERY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 8534, 14 March 1908, Page 7

SPEECH BY LORD ROSEBERY.

1 HIS VIEWS ON IMPERIALISM, | AGAINST PROTECTION AND | SOCIALISM. ! (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) j Per Press Association. LONDON, March 13, I Lord Rosebery, presiding at the i Liberal Club, said he was for friendly ! relations with not one, but all tho' great Powers of Europe. That would ' be found to be the principle of Great Britain's policy, but that did not do away with the necessity for constant vigilance, for the maintenance of a vast superiority at sea and a constant readiness and vigilance regarding armaments on land. If they allowed their armaments to sink below a certain level, they were liable to periodical and sometimes absurd panics,, which were unworthy of a great nation and dangerous to the very heart of the Empire (cheers). A second reason for maintaining. Imperialism was that jt was necessary to hold that flag on,high, keeping it pure and unalloyed -from that other Imperialism which, having protection as its basis, sees in Protection the surest giiarantees of Empire. "I speak with great respect of the self-governing colonies," he continued, " and I do not criticise their tariffs, which form their standpoint of Empire. Those tariffs, however, are not of assistance, but are impediments to I the union of the Empire, and I, for ! one, will never consent, except under j the pressure of overpowering necessity, to a new and more universal tariff springing from the centre of the | Empire." Such a tariff, he said would add a great element of disunion and would be of grave disadvantage or peril, making it the interest of every nation now favouring Freetrade throughout the Empire, to destroy and break up the Empire when it opposed a -rampart of tariffs to the rest of the world (cheers). Social reform was of great importance, but "it was useless unless the country kept safe from external aggression. verdict of tho nation made Freetrade safe for a long period to come, but he warned the Legislature of three contingencies which might drive us from Freetrade. Firstly, the enormous, and, perhaps, increasing pressure of direct taxation compelling them to shift the burden to another source of supply; secondly, the possible necessity of greatly and suddenly increasing the armaments compelling them temporarily to forsake Freetrade ; and thirdly, if it came to a choice—though I trust it never will—between Socialism and Protection, I should unhesitatingly prefer Protection. Protection, he continued, is a great evil, a great tyranny, and a great source of corruption, but Socialism ends all things—Empire, religion, faith, freedom, and property. Socialism was a death blow (cheers). What would become of Freetrade if Socialism became predominant? Protection would be, besides a national benefit, a national necessity. When all the means of production, manufacture and land were the property of tho State the latter would only be protecting its own without the risk Protection entails in the present state of, the community. He concluded by defending the existence of the second Chamber and recommending its reform, and urging •she. National Liberal League to rally round the-programme that had been enunciated, which included hostility to the establishment of an Irish Parliament.