MR. STEAD'S TRAITOROUS UTTERANCES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11870, 23 January 1902, Page 3

MR. STEAD'S TRAITOROUS UTTERANCES.

——. —■©' ■ •. To give an idea of the speeches delivered by Mr. "W. T. Stead on behalf of the English pro-Boer party, we quote the following.:— At a lecture on the war at Botlmal Green Chapel on Sunday, November 24, Mr. Stead, who occupied the. chair, told Ids audience that everyone of them had th«, brand of Cam on his brow, and that their hands were dripping with their brothers' blood. They were murderers when they murdered their brothera ; they were worse than murderers when they murdered their brothers' children; The action of Herod, who slaughtered the innocents of Bethlehem in Judoa, was saint-like in comparison with Britain's oonducfc of the war. Ho recalled a terrible cartoon he had seen in a Munich journal. The gates of hell were flung open and the flames leapt high. At the entry stood Herod welcoming . Mr. Chamberlain, who was approaching to go in. "Hail!, Welcome, colleague-!" Herod was crying to the Colonial Secretary. But Mr. Chamberlain's answer, was: "Miserable bungler! How dare you call me colleague?' And, the speaker added, the epithet was right, 'for Herod's victims among the innocents could only be numbered by hundreds as against the live or six thousands of Mr. Chamberlain. " You can't wish your country to be beaten in this war?" some people might ask him. Tr this he would answer, "Good God! Do I not wish it! Do 1 not wish that this country or any other man's country may be beaten flat if it goes to war in an unjust cause!" The charge of " traitor" : would not trouble him, because most of those whom the world now called heroes had in their day boon called by that name. "■•■_' -This war had its inception in a lie— was being carried on by lies. Six months ago the Government said that farm-burning had ceased. Only last week- he. had received a long list of about 50 different farms that had been burned during the last month ;or two. As for the " further severities" threatened by Mr. Chamberlain, ; they could bo lightly regarded. Wo had gone as far as we dared; if we went farther we should suffer for it.