Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-04-13

|
that the aggressor would not be allowed
to profit by such action.
As to the Greed raid into Mace
donia Curzon assured the house that
from information which the govern
ment has received the raid was entirely
unauthorized by the Greek government
and was not participated in by the
Greek regular troops. Further, 1t had
been disavowed by the Greek govern
ment. and the government Of Turkey
had announced that IL the raid was NOT
repeated Turkey would not treat it as
cause belli, as she might have done.
After making these statements Cur
ION paid attention to the Liberal lead
er. He said that in his speech at Mon
mouth in October last Sir William Har-
court advocated friendship with the 9TH
er powers. but now he attacked the
government for adopting the sugges-
ton. Curzon denied that the concert Of
the powers had been helpless. During
the past few months he insisted the
concert had saved Europe from a gener-
al war. had prevented greater bloodshed
In Crete. and had localized the distur-
Dances on the Greco-Turlkish frontier.
He thought no one would deny that the
policy Of the government-peace in
Europe and the liberation Of Crete-was
a good one: but IL the opposition had an
alternative, let the house hear it. Cur
zon was frequently cheered.
HARCOURr AND BALFOUR TACKLE.
Two Leaders Seem To BE I'm Their Very
Best "Form."
Harcourt arose to reply and, referring
to the refusal of the government to give
day for his motion offered last week,
said that never before had a govern
ment declined to meet such a motion or
shrunk from such an issue. and it was
nov: the duty of the opposition to record
the views Of the united Liberals. The
government. continued Sir William.
said its principles were liberty for Crete
and peace for Europe. But he asked
what sort Of liberty for Crete? Was it
the Kind Cretans desired?
In the present concert of Europe
Great Britain seemed to be giving
everything and getting nothing. The
concert was started to protect the Ar
menians. Now the house was told by
the government that the Armenians must
be abandoned because if the Turks were
not allowed to massacre the Armenians
then the Christian powers would
massacre each other. In Crete Great
Britain had been backing the wrong
horse and bombarding the wrong peo-
pie. The powers had invaded a country
not theirs and were trying to impose a
form of government which the Cretans
did not desire. The only difference be-
tween the actions of the powers and of
Greece was that the latter had been in
vited by the Cretans and the powers
had not.
Balfour. replying, defended the gov
ernment's refusal to give a day for the
discussion of a resolution SO ambiguous
As to the right honorable members ac-
cusation that the government was vio-
lating parliamentary tradition, he de-
sired to remark that a man who could
make the Norwich speech outside the
house of commons and then make the
speech the house had just heard had a
view of his duty to the house of COM
mons which he (Balfour) had never
known a responsible statesman to enter
tain before. The leader of the opposi-
ton had said many hard things con-
corning the concert, but he had not said
whether he desired England to tell the
powers that she meant to resume her
splendid isolation" which he Har-
COURT had attacked a year ago.
So far as the blockade itself was con-
cerned. the leader of the opposition was
better fitted to discuss that as a member
of the government which in 1886 set the
first example of a blockade like the
present. The central question was
whether Great Britain had done more
in the interest of peace and freedom by
associating herself with other powers
than she could have done had she re-
manned in isolation. If the powers gave
a free hand to Greece they could not re-
fuse it to Bulgaria, Servia, Montenegro
or Roumania.
No one attempted to disguise the dan
ger inherent in the common action of
six such different powers as divided
Europe; but while they could not work
in absolute harmony in favor Of peace
and freedom. the British government
would be disregarding every tradition
of the country, every tradition Of honor,
every tradition of sound policy and ev-
cry tradition Of humanity If 1t refused
to bear its share Of a difficult but not
inglorious task. Loud cheers.1
PENSION AGENCIES WILL STAY.
No Consolidation rs Intended by an Order
Teamed NV