New-York tribune., 1900-03-19

the late Lord Colerldge, discussing II as an
audience. described as reminding him of a COL
lection Of upright tombstones. On Thursday the
firehrand smoudering on the corner seat below
the gangway famed into fierce light a. he
tOnished table.
Never since he began take part in Par
liamentary debates has Lord Rosebery displayed
such energy. such angeTed Indignation. The
inadequacy of the proposals Of the Govern
ment TO meet the crisis amazed him. Their
blindness 20 possibilities CT Continental compI-
cation alarmed him. The crisis is urgent"
he cried, facing Lord Salisbury as on the eve OF
Culloden the Bard confronted Lochel The
danger is upon you. The colonies, those Britons
outside our islands, have come enthusiastically
TO your support because they believe they are
associated with the most powerful empire the
world has ever seen. IF you deprive them Of
that feeling the life of the empire is short
You will be shut UP in these islands your en-
pire outside these islands will break away from
you. and where it is without defence il viii fail
a prey to other nations. Meantime YOU alone
with your feet are in the midst Of Europe which
has many scores TO pay off. If that be not a
crisis Of life and death I know not what is"
Here. again, the fundamental difference be
tween the House of Lords ana the House OF
Commons disclosed Had these words been
spoken in the Commons by eX-Premier and
eX-Foreign Minister whose intimate knowledge
Of affairs and whose sound judgment are equally
acknowledged a crowded chamber would have
been filled with signs OF storm and stress The
leader of the House would straightway have
risen and bent all his energies TO meet the
charges and allay excitement which he we'll
knew would the morrow spread through the
country Upon the House of Lords no imme-
diate effect wrought further than what
would have followed on emptyng a bucket of
scalding water down the back of iceberg
Lord Salisbury made sign. The Minister for
War in little hurry 10 appear on the
scene that he let two other lords interpose
When at length he came to speak he absolutely
ignored Lord ROsebery's grave references to re-
lations with foreign Powers, contenting himself
in chilling matter Of fact tone and manner with
replying to one or two points Of criticism raised
with reference TO the scheme of home defence
LORD SALISBURY's ANSWER
If Lord Kimberley had held his peace Lord
Salisbury would in similar fashion have ignored
the utterance of his predecessor at the Foreign
Office. When the leader of the Opposition joined
in. admitting that not less strongly than Lord
Rosebery ne felt the dangers Of the situation
silence on the part Of the leader of the House
became impossible. "A more gloomy collection
of lugubrious vaccinations than those delivered
to the House this evening I never heard" said
That was practically his contribution to the
debate In his official position ne was shut off
from discussion Of questions freely and frankly
entered upon by others. The Pennsular War
was however, topic upon which the
Prime Minister in the Fourteenth Parliament Of
Queen Victoria might discourse. So Lord Sails
bury proceeded to draw the comforting conclu-
sion that in the early days OF that struggle
under the leadership Of the Duke of Wellington
tho
the bad than they appeared in South Africa at
a moment when. yet unknown in Pail Mall
Frenchs gallant I.ancers had pierced the iron
ring OF the Beers at Kimberley.
In the House Of Commons last night there was
a quaint commentary this striking episode
The House having resumed in committee dis
cussion Of the vote for E13OO00 600 Sir Henry
Campbell Bannerman rose, and with that air of
guileless innocence which so naturally envelops
him began in quite casual wav 10 talk about
people in a panic apprehending difficulties with
Continental nations because this country is at
war against two little fourth rate States For
his part, and that he spoke for a majority OF
the Opposition in the House Of Commons was
testified TO by the significant cheering that fol-
lowed, he would be party TO any such increase
OF military force might be designed to facili-
tate an aggressive and ambitious policy Arthur
Balfour. with characteristic quickness, saw his
opportunity and ddroltly seized II. Here he
blandly insisted was the leader of the Liberal
party in the House Of Commons answering an
influential colleague in the other House The
task so excellently done that Mr BaIfour
felt himself free TO talk about something else
defending the Government against other
charges.
This is all very well. very pretty play but IL
does not dispose OF the weight OF Lord Rose
bery's remarks made the responsibility of
his high position and delivered from the most
public platform in the world. Their gravity is
added to by the recollection that in the debate
on the Address Mr.. Goschen. borne away by
food OF feeling uttered a similar warming based
identical grounds. The fact that he mme-
diately pulled himself up and hastily explained
that he really had not meant anything did NOT
lessen the sensation made in the House of Conn
mons by the incident HENRY w. LUCY