The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-01-31

CUTUTIICS, GSpCCIdIIy NdIIdUtt,
and strongly deprecated the adverse crit
icism of General Butler. his remarks in
this connection being cheered. he said he
had every confidence in General Butler and
in Lord Roberts.
The Earl of Shaftesbury, Conservative.
emphasized the debt of gratitude which
Great Britain owed to her colonies and ex-
pressed satisfaction at the settlement of
the Samoa question.
The Liberal leader in the House of Lords.
the Earl of Kimberley. followed. He said
he was glad 70 learn that Great Brtains
relations with other states were friendly
He added that he believed the term could
be justly applied 10 the relations with
European governments and the United
States and deprecated undue at
tention to the attacks of the foreign press.
His lordship congratulated Lord Salisbury
on the conclusion of the agreement with
Germany, but strongly disapproved of the
tone OF Mr.. Chamberlain's SPEECHES In
that connection, however. he paid warm
tribute to the conduct of the soldiers in
the field and TO the loyalty of the British
colonies.
The Earl of Kimberley continuing. said
that although the moment was one of the
deepest gravity he would entirely abstain
from criticising the conduct of the
generals. 1t was the duty of the govern
ment 70 select men to conduct these opera
tons and it was their duty TO support the
government. 1t was, therefore, unwise TO
criticise the generals in these operations.
He did not mean to imply that the generals
arduous duties. but the government would
be wise If 1t made every effort TO prepare
thoroughly for what might occur in the
future. Continuing, Lord Kimberley said:
we might meet period of disaster, and,
although our relations with the other
powers are friendly, it would be well to
consider the possibilities of the future and
| 1T would be we'll If the government pre-
pared for all eventualities and all dangers
and be ready with the means to surmount
them The government does not seem TO
nave been aware of the scale of prepara-
lions of the South African Republic"
SALISBURY'S REPLY.
Lord Salisbury, in reply to the Earl of
Kimberley, asserted that there was moth
ing in the stipulations of the Conserva-
tives to limit and hinder the importation
of arms and ammunition into the Trans
vaal through Lourenzo Marques. Continu-
ing, the premier said: "Why were we to
know about the Importation of arms?
believe guns were introduced into the
Transvaal in boilers and munitions of war
in piano cases. We had a small secret
service fund. If you want much informa-
ton you must give much money. 1 con-
slider the enormous amounts spent by other
governments, especially the Transvaal,
which, l have heard on high diplomatic au-
thority, spent fS00,000 i'm single year, and
the small sums spent by England, making
ii impossible for us to have the omnis-
cience attributed to by Lord Kimber-
ley. 1 am glad he has pressed an imme-
date inquiry into the action of the mill
tary authorities at time when our gen.
erals in the field and many of those who
could give most valuable information are
unable to appear. We should defer an in
convenient
Later the premier admitted the de-
ficiencies of the existing system remark
ing that the treasury had acquired a power
which was not to the public benefit He
had not thought of looking into past his
tory or examining the amount of blame
to be attached to this that minister.
ut is" he said, quite the right way of
dealing with the present crisis. We must
join together and exercise all our powers
in extricating ourselves from situation
full of humiliation and not free from
may not have easily been exaggerated.
Many a country has commenced a war
with difficulties of the kind We experience.
We have only to look at what the North
ern States of America went through at
the beginning of the civil war to see how
easy 1T would be to draw a mistaken in
ference from the reverses we have met at
the outset. We have every ground to think
that If we set ourselves heartily to work
and exert all the undoubted instruments
of the power we possess we snail orlng
the war to satisfactory conclusion we
have work which appeals TO us as SUBJ
jects of the Queen and as Englishmen and
it must throw in the shade all thoughts
of party eXpediency.
Lord Salisbury then said he regretted
that Lord Edmund Fitzmaurice, in the
House of Commons, was about TO bring
this great issue into party controversy,
adding that the only place where his action
would meet with sympathy was in Pre-
toria Our effort the premier con-
tinued, must be to retrieve ourselves from
the present situation, which cannot be al
lowed to lax This empire Is valuable
and splendid, but responsible possession.
We must concentrate our EFFORTS III we
do not tame all the smaller passions into
one great duty we run the danger of con-
vulsions which will tarnish the empires
luster and perhaps menace its integrity.
ROSEBERY MAKES FIERY SPEECH.
After Lord Salisbury had spoken Lord
Rosebery made a fiery speech, demanding
Of the government what it was going to
do and adding that the country would
shrink from no sacrifice which the burning
emergency might demand. Lord Rosebery
spoke with great force and earnestness.
He asked why the premier made 1T so diff
cult for the man i'm the street to support his
policy. The past conduct of the government
would come up for investigation some day.
he hoped adding: 1--WE have the right to
know if. before the crisis, the intelligence
department supplied the government suf-
ficient information. If not. dismiss the
department Ii the government pos
sessed the information their responsibility
is heavy hope that, when the time for
the investigation arrives, those who have
served the Queen will be covered with such
glory that the eyes of the investigators will
be daZzled.
81 was appalled, at the nature and style
of Lord Salisbury's speech. We now have
10000 men in South Africa, yet we are
with difficulty holding our own. The atti-
tude of the foreign nations is described as
friendly. But that does not strike me as
teipg sc amicable as the word would i'm
ply. / deem ii necessary TO know what
the government is going to do. Lord Sails
bury said the cause of our casualties was
the smallness of the secret fund and the
British constitution. But what is the gov
ernment's duty? Some form of compulsory
service must be introduced to meet the
growing exigencies of the empire, and
am sure the nation will not shrink from
either that any other sacrifice TO pre-
serve the empires predominance.
THAT we should not shrink from sending
away vast masses of troops, situated as we
are in the center of universe by no means
friendly to us, without having q hint from
the government of the military measures
it proposed taking TO face the disasters VIC
is one of the most extraordinary features of
the British constitution. / agree with Lord
Salisbury that the country can carry this
| thing through. in spite of all the impede
ments of men and methods which have
shackled Ii in the past, but / venture to say