Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1902-02-08

London. Feb. G.-premirr Salisbury
unveiled II lfe-sizc marble statue Of the
late Queen Victoria at the Junio. Con
stitutional club las, night. Speaking
ut Il dinner after the unvriling the pre-
| micr referred TO the recent Dutch note,
saying that. for himself. he was unable
to imagine the object of the DutcI gov
crnmrnt, for whose friendly feelings he
had the greatest admiration, lut ne
could not see the precise object they
hoped to gain by this curious step. 1t
was clear that the Dutch had no au.
thoriZatiOn from our enemies IN the
continent. since from the moment this
action on the part of the Netherlands
government was announced ;hrSe en-
elneS r'"d with each other in declaring
the Dutch action to be undesirrd. Her
naJeSty's government certainly knew
nothing Of the Genesis of this move
mcnt.
'Fhpre is no longer any question Of
Sentment,' continued Lord Salisbury
We have entered upon Il matter of bust
hess which we must push through.
What we are now seeking is security.
Any peace which recognizes fully the
rights Of the sovereign and gives us Sc
curity for the empire we should accept
not only with willingness, but with de-
light.
at is useless to tell us to behave SO as
to leave Il pleasant recollection in the
minds of those with whom weHrr fight
ing. The only result that can COM
penSate for the sacrifice of blood and
treasure is that, for the future. there
shall be Secnrinty in that part of the en-
pirc upon which the ambition Of Mr..
Kruger has poured this abundance Of
sorrow and desOla ton"
Lord Salisbury said he had no mis-
givngs for the future and thar be he
lieved the war had made the country
more confident in its external lolicy.
more convinced that its opinions would
receive due consideration from the
committee of nations.
But when the present strain Lad
passed away. continued the speaker.
there would still remain duties which
could not he shirked. The eXistrnc.rt
hostile feeling in Ireland was Il signal
that the efforts upon which dep'lrlcd in
no light degree the glory and "ou;inu-
ancr Of the empire must not be le-
laXtd
''The maintenance of our position IN
Ireland is the most vital object the EN-
pire has, and ii can only he attained by
strenuous eXertiOns." said the pr"mi r..
The premier asked if the Irish people
loved the government better Than they
did formerly, and replied himself that
they did not. He said that the feelings, f
hostility which had been expressed were
more uncompromising than any express
Sions which had ever issued from the
lips Of Parnell or OCOnnell. An Irish
government. with power to accumulate
arms and ammunition, would cUnSttut
il more serious threat than had the
Beers. While the orthodox leader of
the Liberal party had declared l.imsrlf
in favor of home rule, said The speaker,
the semi-OrthOdoN. leader of that lariv,
whose utterances were harder to i'll
terpret. while he had not pledged him
SELF 10 home rule. had Studio,!Sly
avoided any pledge from which the con-
trary might be inferred.
The premier concluded with saving
that the conspicuous duty of the union
lists was to maintain a permanent juno
tion between England and Ireland. and
that it was by sustaining this junction
that they would maintain the greatness
of the constitution and the splrn,lor of
the British empire.