Rotes ana Comments.

Thames Star, Volume xxx, Issue 9451, 29 September 1899, Page 1

Rotes ana Comments.

WHO IS dIR ALFRED MILNER ?

The Bight Hon. Joseph Chamberlain, in the course of a recent speech in the House of Commons, paid a high tribute to the ability of the High Commissioner for South Africa, fir Chamberlain said:—" And! here let me pause for a moment. Who is Sir Alfred Milner ? Sir Alfred Milner, one of the most distinguished of the Civil servants of the Crown, a man who has been equally successful in a great office at Home and in a respen. siblo position in Egypt, was selected by the Government with, I venture to say, the unanimous assent of this country expressed by the leaders of the Opposition as well as by the Ministerial supporters. He was chosen by us as specially marked out for this most difficult, this most responsible S«ition of Governor of the Cape, of igh Commissioner of the Queen, because of his great ability, his 000 l judgment, his unfailing tact, his impartial mind; and now it is not open to those who recognised those great qualities in him two years ago, now that he has had two years'ex-* perience of South Africa ; now that he has brought an absolutely impartial judgment to bear upon the questions submitted to him, "to treat him as a prejudiced partisan because his coaV elusions do not agree with theirs. It is not creditable that they should begia to revile him as noon as they find he counsels a policy which they an not at the moment prepared to support. . . We selected Sir Alfred Milner, we sent him out because we believed that he was the best man to deal with this difficult question, and now that he is there, in the midst of intrigue and hatred, we intend to support him. We have confidence in his judgment, we accept bis general conclusions, we take full responsibility for all that he has done."