The San Francisco call., 1896-02-11
Vague Terms Relating to the
Proposed Settlement With
Venezuela.
NEEDED LEGISLATION ASKED.
Some Satisfaction Found in the Prom
Use of the Sultan to Institute Re.
forms in Armenia.

LONDON, ENG, Feb. 10.-The speech
from the throne, which will be read at the
opening of Parliament tomorrow, was
read at the Queens speech banquets, given
by Lord Salisbury and the Right Hon. A.
j. Balfour, First Lord of the Treasury,
respectively, at 20 Arlington street and 10
Downing street, this evening. The speech
makes no reference whatever to the sub
ject OF arbitration of the Venezuelan ques-
ton.
The speech announces that the measures
to be introduced by the Government will
include an employer limited liability bill,
a measure for the creation OF voluntary
schools; an Irish land bill for the forma-
tion of an Irish board of agriculture for
the relief of agricultural distress, bill for
the regulation of alien pauper immigra-
ton, and measure for the construction of
of light railways for the rural districts.
The speech sets forth that the relations
of Great Britain with foreign powers are
satisfactory, recapitulates the known facts
of the Transvaal trouble, alludes to the
necessity for an increase of the naval
strength of England and refers to the
dispute between Great Britain and Vene-
zuela and the negotiations with the United
States in regard thereto as pending in ex-
actly the same terms as vaguely outlined
in Saturdays United Press dispatches,
which stated that the Government of
Great Britain had under consideration
proposals that offer q prospect of a more
peaceful solution of the dispute.
The speech also recites the facts of the
massacres and disturbances in Armenia.
While 1t deplores the excesses which have
been committed, it says that some degree
of satisfaction is to be found in the Sui
tan's promises to institute reforms, but
avoids any indication of the future policy
of England in regard to Turkey.
Her Majesty congratulates the country
upon the success of the bloodless opera
tions OF the British expedition in Asian
tee and deplored the death of Prince
Henry of Battenberg, who was member
of the expedition.
No Importance is attached to the absence
of any reference to arbitration of the Ven
ezuelan dispute. No experienced politi-
clans expected that any reference would
be made to the subject for the reason that
the speech is never the medium of merely
incipient developments.
The representative of the United Press
learns that Prime Minister Salisbury and
the Right Hon. A. j. Balfour, First Lord
of the Treasury, have prepared carefully
guarded statement, which they will make
in the House of Lords and House OF Com
mons early in the debate on the address in
reply to the Queens speech, affirming the
willingness of the Government to arbitrate
the question of the territory that is not oc-
cupied by British settlements.
Opinion in the Liberal Club grows every
day more intense in favor of closing the
dispute on any terms consonant with ma
tional honor. AS the declarations of the
Ministers are not likely to be satisfactory
10 the Liberals, it is believed that Sir Will
liam Harcourt, their leader in the House Of
Commons, will move an amendment to
the address affirming that arbitration o