The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1877-12-18 00:00:00

Oates anb

Everybody in the political world of Weymouth has
been 'tarred by the extra-Parliamentary utterance of
our excellent member, Mr. Edwards, which, in
accordance with a humorous custom of in their
'tween-sessional speeches, he prefaced by remarking
that " Politics are excluded." Just as when an
eloquent spokesman at a public meeting states "1
will not detain you by a speech at any length," we
know that a lengthy utterance is sure to follow, so,
when we hear the ominous worts " Polities are
excluded," we are sure they are a kind of herald's
challenge to political wondswres. ling. Our amiable
member WWI quite in the fashion, for hie tribute to the
exclusion of politics was but a complitnentary bow to
antiquated prejudice, before quietly disregarding that
Lejuolice altogether. Seldom have political feelings
ben so strongly imported (though not by Mr.
Edwards) into a que-tion which .night to be free of
them, as into the E ~tern ttlestion. awl there are
those .4 us who, at the extremes of opposite polirico,
regard either Lord Beaconsfield or Mr. Gladstone as
responsible for a great part of the calannties of the
war. A few, no doubt, execrate one or other of these
Insiders, according to the view from which they regard
the subject. In Mr. Edwards, a consistent Liberal,
as all honest men believe him, it is useful to note a
steady and warm opponent of Russia, and one who to
some extent apologises for the Turks, while he
acknowledge+ heartily the great advance they have
Damle in civilisation. The speech of the bon, gentle-
man is the lure u4eful bec suns we can easily trace the
course by which his conclusions have been arrived at,
and al,s because it impresses upon the minds of those
who were h..rrified by the Turkish villanies, that a
danger, none the less real because more subtly
covered, is near. We were in danger of being utterly
blinded by the abominations of Moslem principles
end of Moslem misrule, and tempted to look only at
Philippopolia and Batak, forgetting Poland and Khi va.
And, as reminding us of the steely encroachments of
R 112141, both in Europe and Asia, and her supposed
designs on Constantinople and India, the hon.
member's speech is full of value. But when he puts
down the horrors which made all England ring with a
shout ef 4kt-station—when he charge* these to Russia
—we pause and ask for the evidence. Mr. Edwards
has been to Constantino,le, and, as if that were not
I enough, he has further pasee.l on to Adrianople. N.ov
. Adrianople, which has once known a Guastan army.
has notoriously been, in the present war-time, the
fountain of most of the ex urgerati.es on the Turkish
, side. The Go' mentor of Adrianople has been peculi orly
1 lan mine as to Turkish successes—has twice, I believe,
• premarnrely, indeed falsely, reported the capture of
I the Shipka Prom, an.l only at the end of last week
gmsoly exaggerated the number of prisoners taken at
Elena, for while Adrianople reported several th .usands,
news from the c pital gave fewer Mut 'reds We
cannot learn that the hon. member went further into
, Turkey than Adrian. le, and cannot but conclude
I that the reports as to General Ignatieff and Mahmond
Nechlia were conveyed to our member entirely from