, 1875-08-14

worth discussion, except in relation to the
practical application by which they are
illustrated and explained. Partisans are
very apt to lay a much larger foundation
than they really need for the superstruc-
ture of argument which they purpose to
build upon it. In such cases it is no use
to deal with more OF the intellectual
foundation than has been actually made
use of for Interior purposes in the diploma
tic representation in question. In relation
to the German despatch, the words, ga
State ought not to permit its subjects to
disturb the Internal peace of another
State" may mean any thing or nothing.
It they are to mean, 4All acts committed
by the subjects of one State, which have
a tendency, however indirect and remote,
to cause disturbance in another State
ought to be forbidden" they would be
perfectly monstrous; for they would for
bid such acts as the abolition Of slavery
In one State, on the ground that such a
course may very we'll cause a dangerous
terment 10 another State where slavery
exists. If, on the contrary, the words in
question only mean {" there are some acts
tending to disturb the internal peace of
another State, which by international law
a State IS bound on that account to forbid"
they only mean what every civiIised
power has repeatedly admitted. However,
Lord Derby here forgot to remark that
while the German words ate large enough
t. include the former meaning, without, of
curse, necessarily implying it, they are
much too large to be exhausted by the
second and certainly very moderate drift
which Lord Derby suggests for them.
They might easily cover the maximum
and exaggerated meaning. They could
hardly have been used at al if nothing
more had been meant than the common
pace which Lord Derby suggests as the
minimum meaning to BE- assigned to them.
They may have meant much less than the
first interpretation; they must have meant
much more than the second. But Lord
Derby went on to say that while he did
not himself feel called upon to put any
Interpretation on the vague words used by
Germany 10 Belgium, to which he had not
b en- required by either Power to assign
any definite meaning, he felt no scruple in
declaring that though not at all prepared
to say that Germany had called upon
Belgium in these vague words to restrict
It's free Press in Difference to German
feelings, yet I" that one foreign Govern
ment should call upon another to silence
its Press or its public speakers, is an act
which has always excited, and l hope
will always excite, a general feeling of
sympathy and of Indignation in this coun-
try" And with this remark, and the
cautious addition that " we have no rea-
son to suppose that any attempt will be
made to silence by menace the Belgian
Parliament or Press" so that the whole
question, in the present state of affairs,
is "purely speculative" Lord Derby
excused himself from saying more on the
subject of Lord Penzance's question.
1t would be difficult to discover an in
stance of more exact qualitative adapta-
ton of diplomatic resistance to the precise
amount of diplomatic pressure brought to
bear by Germany on Belgium. Lord Der
by does all he can to depreciate the real
significance of that pressure, letting Just
enough escape him to neutralize that
pressure if it has been applied, and then
he wraps himself courteously 10 his official
reserve and scepticism, without admitting
that any such pressure has really been
applied. He finds it convenient, however,
to ignore for the moment that unquestion-
ably the Belgian Bishops public expression
nf Svmnathv with their PrusSian krathron