OTAGO WITNESS

Otago Witness, Issue 2236, 7 January 1897, Page 8

OTAGO WITNESS

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[From Otago Daily Times ] IMPERIAL QUESTIONS. Lord Salisbury's speech at the Guildhall on Lord Mayor's Day was entirely devoted to questions of foreign politics. Speaking in the presence of the American Ambassador, who had just delivered an. interesting speech, the Prime Minister was able to declare that the Venezuelan controversy was practically at an end. In connection •with this matter, passing reference may be made to a cablegram which we published last week, stating that Sir Julian Pauncepote and Mr Olney had nearlj agreed on a general treaty of arbitration between Great Britain and the United States "on the lines of Lord Salisbury's scheme on the basis ot compromise." The Prime Minister mad( an incidental reference to the Presidential election, congratulating th< . Ambassador " upon the splendid pro nomi^ement which the great people h< represents has made on behalf o principles which lie at the base o all human society." The Tuz'kish ques tion occupied more than half of th speech. Lord Salisbury convincing]; showed the foolishness of th doctrine of isolated action on th part of Great Britain, virgin: that the desired end could be accom plished by nothing short of com plete European concert. Happilj during the weeks that have elapse since the date of this speech, the pros pects of final concerted action hay grown brighter ; but it is well to bea in mind that, even if there should sti' be delay or difficulty, the idea c solitary British intervention is quit out of the question. The simple fac is — and Lord Salisbuhy stated the f a< with perfect frankness — that the ord nary resources of Great Britain you] not be equal to the undertaking,to say nothing of secondary peri and complications. "We need niali no apology for quoting the followir passage: — "There is a very hapr. and salutary belief in the minds of tl British public that the British flei can go anywhere and do anythin And, within limits, that belief is to 1 encouraged. But if you desirj 1: force, and against the will of the exia ing Government, to amend the Groier;

raent and to protect the industry and \ security of the inhabitants of the r Turkish provinces, you can only do it i by military occupation. A military i occupation is a yery large under- 8 taking, which requires a very large c military force. No fleet in the 1 world can do it. No fleet in the j -world can get over the mountains of t Taurus to protect the Armenians. . , . 1 What Great Britain might do if she " exhausted all her forces I will not l pretend to say. .But if you wish to ■< execute an operation which is a military \ operation, and which requires the com- I mand of a very large army, you must \ begin by establishing conscription in < this country." Lord Salisbury also i protested against the assumption ' that the Continental Powers were ; ; actuated by selfish motives in their ' consideration of this matter. Euroj pean rulers and Ministers were : the trustees for the vast populations with whose interests they were charged, \ 1 and they were not in a position to . sacrifice everything else to- " high, j splendid, emotional sympathy." The Prime Minister wisely hinted that the [ people of: Great Britain were not quite ready enough to appreciate the difficulties of the other Powers. A war in the east of the Mediterranean might not seriously embarrass Great Britain : her commerce might be disturbed, but the lives and industries of her people would not be directly jeopardised. " But if a war is aroused . in the east of the Mediterranean, and j spreads to the European empires which \ adjoin the Turkish Empire, vast popu- '. lations will be threatened in their wellJ being, vast industries will be arrested, [ probably great territorial changes will j be set on foot, and perhaps the vital existence of nations may be threatened. r You cannot expect nations who are in that position to look upon the problems „ presented to them with the same emotional and philanthropic spirit with 1 which you, in your splendid isolation, i I are able to examine all the circumstances. 1 will not, therefore, admit for a moment that the Powers are c selfish." At the same time Lord Salisbury did not disguise his con- ~ viction that the Continental Powers were pausing too long, and even c running the risk of greater future ,£ dangers because they were unwilling to face the dangers which existed already ; he merely wished to express c his respect for their motives — the v motives of careful guardians o£ national "g interests ; — and as for Great Britain, he [ Q pointed out that the duty of her a Majesty's Ministers was first to the jt British people, and secondly to all j_ humanity —to Moslems as well as , r Christians, to the armies of Continental c { ! Europe as well as to the hapless suf- ,_ I ferers in Armenia. It was a etatesre ! manlike, salutary, and timely lesson, ir | in no way diminishing the impressiven ! ness o£ the warning which the Prime 3 £ Minister once more addressed to the te Sultak, "drifting down the current ct j which leads to an abyss." ct | Lord Salisbury spoke in the highest i- j terms o£ the management of the DonId • gola Expedition, asserting that Sir — i Herbert Kitchener's performances, Lls j in their limited scope, would challenge ie j comparison with anything of the kind in ig j British annals, while warm praise vras iy j also given to Lord Cromer (formerly he Sir Evelyn Baring) on the diplomatic et side. This part of his speech contains g. a passage of fine eloquence, which we be should like to quote, in eulogy of the iy great public servants of the Empire, it- men of transcendental merit, who never ;> fail fco appear at occasion's call. But

,ye have already quoted freely and aaust rather give space to a yet more Important passage regarding British ! relations with Russia — a .passage 3ignalising a remarkable and, as it 3eema to us, welcome development of British policy, though the Prime, Minister's old chief and colleague at the Berlin Conference would hardly have approved it. And in connection i with this matter it is interesting to J remember that some 20 years ago when he was Secretary for India in Lord Beaconsfield's Government, Lord Salisbury was generally regarded as the Russophile member of the j Cabinet, though subsequently, after j succeeding Lord Derby as Foreign ' Minister, he appeared to be orer- ' mastered, if not converted, by his , leader's anti-Russian feelings. This is i the passage in the Guildhall speech (Prince Bismauck's extraordinary disclosures fm'nishing the text) : " I hesitate to make any observation upon statements coming from such a source, but I do reserve the right to demur absolutely to the assumption on which he appears to go — that there is a permanent, necessary antagonism between Russia and Great Britain. 1 know of no such antagonism. I know of no cause that would give rise to it, and the interests of the two countries do not seem to me likely to cross in any important matter so as to cause such a divergence as he appears to assume. Speaking from the foreign Office j point of view, I regret to say that we have discussions with all Powers, but the discussions we have with Russia are by no means the. most voluminous — I should almost say that they are the most concise of all in which we are engaged. It is, therefore, I think, a superstition of an antiquated diplomacy that there is any necessary antagonism between Russia and Great Britain." The distinct statement which these words make may not be very remarkable, but there is nevertheless much suggestiveness in the fact that the Prime Minister used such words and almost went out of his way in order to use them. No British Minister — at all events no Conservative Minister — would have dreamed of using such language in the seventies, or even in the eighties, - -and we cannot but regard the development as a triumph of common sense and political wisdom.

PHASnS OF THE MOON. i j JANUARY. i I a VI § 1 O P New Moon ... 3rd 5h 33m p.m first Quarter llth 9a Win ».m Fall Moon ... l!)th 7h 47m a ru. Last Quarter 2Gth 7h 3!) m a.m. Apogee ..Uth 8h Om p.m. Perigee ... 25th 2h Om a.m. i CO a o h xa h m I HIOH WATER AT DUNEDIN.* G43 a.m. ... 7. 2 p.m 7.20 „ 737 „ 757 5.14 „ 8.33 „ 8.53 „ 9.13 „ 9.35 „ 9.58 „ 10.94 „ 10 55 11.29 „ I L_ I! 10 , « 12 33 TbJ :L S. |M. ;T. W. I 4.34 4/J5 4.37 4 38 4.39 4.40 4.41 7 55 .7.55 '7.54 $7.5-1 >7 54 )7.53 L 7.53