The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-06-08
POLITICAL.
Anglo.American Policy.


about an Anglo-Saxon alliance. Mr..
Chamberlain was recently recognized
in the home government as sort OF
prime minister pro tenn, while Lord
Salisbury took his vacation, and his
words followed soon after his chief had
publicly divided the nations into two
classes, the living and the dying. Mr..
Chamberlain spoke at Birmingham,
May ID. The notable points in his adj
dress were the following:
"After deprecating the assertions in
certain quarters that Lord Salisbury
was 'discredited' and the government
weak and vascillating,' he said: IF for
eign countries believe and act upon
these statements, they will find them
selves much mistaken, and that courte-
GUS diplomacy and graceful concessions
are not incompatible with firm mainte-
nance of the country's honor and in
terets.'
"Referring to the policy of strict iso-
lation that England has pursued since
the Crimean war, he remarked that
this had been perfectly justifiable, but
the time had arrived when Great Brit
ain may be confronted by combina-
ton 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 speaking 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 al
lance. It is one of the most satisfac-
tory results of Lord Salisbury's policy
that at the present time these two great
nations understand each other better
than they ever have done, since, over
a century ago, they were separated by
the blunder of British Government
Lord Salsbury's speech in London
before the Primrose League, contained
the following statements:
"You may roughly divide the ma
tons Of the world as the living and the
dying. On one side you have great
countries of enormous power, growing
in power every year, growing in wealth,
growing in dominion, growing in the
perfection of their organization; rail-
ways have given to them the power to
concentrate upon any one point the
whole military force of their popula-
ton, and to assemble armies of mag
NIL Irooyo,oH Of n,
the generations that have gone by; and
science has placed in the hands of those
armies weapons ever growing in their
efficacy of destruction, and, therefore,
adding to the power-fearfully to the
power-of those who have the opportun-
ity of using them. By the side of these
splendid organizations, of which moth.
ing seems to diminish the force, and
which present rival claims which the
future may only be able by bloody
arbitrament 10 adjust, there are num-
Der of communities which can only
describe as dying, though the epithet
applies to them, of course, in very diff
ferent degrees, and with very differ
ent amount of certain application.
They are mainly communities that are
not Christian, but regret to say that
is not exclusively the case. And in
these states disorganization and decay
are advancing almost as fast as concen-
tration and increasing power are adj
vancing in the living nations that stand
opposite them. Decade after decade
they are weaker, poorer, and less pro-
vided with leading men or institutions
in whom they can trust, apparently
drawing nearer and nearer to their
fate, and yet clinging with strange
tenacity to the life which they have
got. In them misgovernment is not
only not cured, but is constantly on the
increase. The society-and official So
ciety-the administration, is mass of
corruption, so that there is no firm
ground on which any hope of reform
or restoration could be based, and in
their various degrees they are present.
ing terrible picture to the more en-
lightened portion of the world, pic
ture which unfortunately the increase
in the means of our information and
communication draws with brighter
should say darker-and more eonspicu-
GUS lineaments, in the face of the eyes
of all nations, and appeals to their feel
ings, as well as to their interests, call.
ing upon them to bring forward rem.
edy. How long this state of things is
likely to 60 on, of course, do not at
tempt to prophesy. All I can indicate
is that process is proceeding, that the
weak states are becoming weaker, and
the strong states are becoming strong.
er. 1t needs me to enter into no de
tail, and to attempt no specially Of
prophecy to point out to you what the
inevitable result of that combined pro
cess must be. For one reason or fol
another-from the necessities of poll
tics or under pretence of philanthropy
for one reason or another the living
nations will gradually encroach on thu
territory of the dying, and the seed
and causes of conflict among civilized
nations will speedily appear. OF course
it is not to be supposed that any on
nation of the living nations will be al
lowed to have the profitable monopol
of curing or cutting up these unf0rtu
nate patients, and the controversy as t.
who shall have the privilege of doin
30, and in what manner he shall do it
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