The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-01-16


Americans-He Intimates that England
Will Aid the Commissioned Different
Tone Towards Germany.
London. January 15-At meeting in
Manchester, this evening, Right Hon.
Arthur j. Balfour, First Lord of the
Treasury, in the course of an address
made incidental mention of Emperor
William OF Germany, which was greeted
with groans and hoots MIR. Balfour ad-
mitted, with sorrow and reluctance, that
the concert Of action of the European
Powers had failed to introduce that re-
form in the government of Turkey with
out which he feared 1t would be i'm
possible to hope for an early settlement
of the Eastern question.
Referring to the Transvaal difficulty,
Mr.. Balfour declared that he could not
discuss the gravity of the offense Of those
who would be arranged for their opera
tions in the South African republic, bnt
he was sure that those responsible for the
movement there were not guided by
mean and sordid motives. The govern
ment, he said, was of the opinion that it
was impossible for affairs in the Trans
vaal to reach a satisfactory condition
while it's government was founded upon
SO artificial and inequitable basis as at
present. the Uitlanders, who are in the
majority, paying the greater proportion of
tho taxes and not having the smallest
share in the government President
Kruger. Mr. Balfour admitted displayed
great generosity and political wisdom
and he hoped the promised reforms would
not be delayed longer than was necessary.
1T Is beyond question that the republic
is free in The administration of it's inter
nal affairs, but it's external affairs are
subject to the
CONTROL OF GREAT BRITAIN,
Call it suzerainty orIby anyEother name
there is no mistaking this fact and that
oreign interference will not be per-
mitted." (Cheers.)
Nevertheless MIR. Balfour said, he was
not aware that any foreign country was
prepared to dispute the doctrine.
Touching upon the Venezuelan dispute,
Mr.. Balfour said the United States ap-
peared to suspect Great Britain of run
ming counter to the Monroe doctrine. Fe
construed this doctrine to the effect that
the American continent must not he re-
garded as field of European colonization
and European nations were not entitled
to interfere in the domestic affairs of the
New World. He said that the United
States and Great Britain concurred in
this construction. He did not believe it
would be possible to find an Individual
N a hn xUa Of
warding a colonization policy in
America. Great Britain was content, and
always had been content, to do the best
for the colonies she possessed. She did
not wishgto interfere with other Estates
or acquire more territory. He believed if
the Venezuelan government had re-
uested British protection, the honor
would have been declined by every states
man. He referred respectively to the long
duration of the boundary. dispute to Lord
Salisbury's despatch, to thel progress of
The compiling of documents relating to
the matter here and to the appointment
of the United States commission to de-
would be hard indeed If the common
sense of the AnRlo-Snxon race was unable
to settle any dispute without war.
(Cheers.) Mr.. Balfour said he had been
deeply and painfully impressed with the
different manner in which war was re-
garded In England as compared with the
view apparently taken of it by some
sections of the American population.
WAR WITH THE UNITED STATES
appeared to himself, and doubtless to his
hearers, to be enyeloped with the unnat-
ural horror Of civil war which, with any
nation, is terror to be avoided at oil
costs except dishonor. Beyond their
common ancestry, language and civiliza-
tion, he believed that the British people
had pride OF race which embraced every
English speaking country in the world.
He admitted with sorrow that such feel
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