The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-02-20
lMP0RT ANCE TO ENGLAND OF SUCCESS
IN SOUTH AFRICA.
DISRUPTION OF THE EMPIRE
Would Follow the Loss of south Africa.
Lord Rosebery In the House of Lords
Points Out the Critical state of AZ
fairs-Germany and America Refuse
an Alliance with Her-Russia Already
Planning i'm the E~ast-France Almost
Hostile in Her Attitude.

London, February 15.-In the house
Of lords the Earl of Dunraven raised
a question on the government military
proposals and expressed a doubt as to
whether these were sufficient.
The Earl of Rosebery said he fully
recognized the gravity of the situation
and agreed with the previous speaker
in thinking that the measures adopted
were inadequate in the circumstances
He also doubted whether the paper
force of 4O9. 900 men in Great Britain
TO which the secretary of state for war
for the volunteers, Lore Rosebery
said he had the highest respect; but
by no stretch of the imagination
could they be called soldiers, as it was
admitted that they needed months of
training annually to render them eff
Gent.
The crisis in South Africa is ur-
gent continued LOr Rosebery, but
we must not keep our eyes upon South
Africa alone. Last December the gov
eminent made urgent overtures to
great powers-Germany and the
United States-fOr an alliance, but the
oVertureS were not received with such
cordialjty as to encourage the govern
ment to pursue them. 1t does not ap-
pear that the friendship .of France
would bear any great strain, and. as
to Russia, events have been recently
witnessed in Persia about which Eng
land formerly would have had some
thing to say, but which now she passes
unnOticed.
lit becomes the government to take
q large grasp of the situation and to
make adequate proposals. If Great
Britain were to lose South Africa she
would lose the most important base
outside of the United Kingdom. and
she would lose that colonial support
which has been given because the colo
MES have believed they were associat-
ing themselves with a powerful en-
pire, and thus the empire would break
away from us. If this be not a life
and death crisis, I do not know what
it is"
The Earl of Kimberley, the liberal
leader, said he felt the danger of the
situation equally with Lord Rosebery.
Although he would not ascribe a direct
hostile intention to Russia at the pres
ent moment, he said that he could not
overlook the facts that there was a
movement of troops in progress, which
if not menacing, showed that possibili-
ties of the future We're not absent from
the Russian mind.
The Marquis of Salisbury, the pre-
mier, in the course CT his reply for the
government, said: 81 cannot enter upon
the springs that guide the Russian
government, or the course it is likely
to take, nor can l discuss, the health OF
the ameer of A~fghanStan. AS to wheth-
er u forces are adequate for the work
in South Africa or whether ii is true
that the government have always been
too late n ave neglected %opportuni-
ties, l would gladly accept a challenge,
provided the words would not DO be-
yond this chamber. The present trou-
bles are not due to the expansion OF
the empire, but to miscalculations
made in 1881 and in 1884. Our forefath-
ers were not discouraged by bad be-
ginnings, and we should follow their
example and not be cast down. The
government are convinced now, as they
always have been, that the issue will
be brought to a successful conclusion
l do not think any advantage is to be
obtained from taking a gloomy view