Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1898-05-19
Bold and Daring Words.

The most daring public utterance by
a government official that the nations
have been treated to in many a day
was given by Joseph Chamberlain,
British secretary of state for the colon
les, at Birmingham last Friday even
ing. Premier Salisbury's foreign poll
cy has been pretty severely criticised
of late by some of the English press,
and it would seem that Mr.. Chamber
lain was deputed to defend the minis
try at the Birmingham meeting, and
''unfold a tale" that would startle the
world. He first assured the nations of
Europe that they would find themselves
very much mistaken if the believed
England's courteous diplomacy and
graceful concessions meant that Great
Britain was not able to maintain her
honor and interests. Then he struck
the keynote of his purpose, and said:
The time has arrived when Great
Britain may be confronted by a combi-
nation of powers, and our first duty,
therefore, is to draw all parts of the
empire into close unity, and our next
to maintain the bonds of permanent
unity with our kinsman across the At
lantic.
There is a powerful and generous
nation, using our language, bred of
our race, and having interests identi-
cal with ours. l would go so far as to
say that, terrible as war may be, even
war itself would be cheaply purchased
if in a great and noble cause the stars
and stripes and the union jack should
wave together over an Anglo-Saxon
alliance.
s.It is one of the most satisfactory
results of Lord Selisbury's policy, and
at the present time these two great
nations understand each other better
than they ever have done"
Mr.. Chamberlain would not have
given utterance to such sentiments I'M
less he had been authorized to DID by
his government, and his government
would have given no such authority
unless it knew beyond the possibility
of doubt that the Washington gov
ernment was in full accord with that
4hnnrhf iu 70 1o oh
ing deep significance that Mr.. Cham
berlain's speech followed close up to
the heels of the infusing new and Wig
orous life into the reapproachmeut be-
tween Austria, Germany and Russia,
and OF Frances violation ot the neu-
trality agreement by permitting the
Cape Verde squadron to coal at Mar
Unique, and by otherwise aiding and
abetting Spain. In this country such a
declaration would be called ''reading
the riot act to whom it may concern,
and that is exactly what the British
government did through its secretary
of state for the colonies at Birmingham
last Friday evening.
1t is now for Europe to say what she
is going to do about it. 1t is for Rus
sia to fully and satisfactorily explain
her purpose toward China. 1t is for
Germany to say whether or not she is
going to quit meddling in affairs which
do not directly concern her. 1t is for
Austria to say how many and what the
size of the strings are that bind her to
the czar and the kaiser. 1t is for
France to explain why she so lightly
her neutrality vows. The
propositions which Mr.. Chamberlain
lays down are clear and comprehen-
sive. There can be no mistaking their
meaning. Great Britain's home and
colonial population of more than 300.-
900, 900 souls are waiting for Europe
to answer-and the stars and stripes
are not far away.-K. c. Times.