New-York tribune., 1903-02-18
THE BRITISH OUTLOOK.

Parliament at Westminster reasSembleS amld
auspicious circumstances, though they are OF
recent creation. In some cases only leW
davs in others few weeks at most nave
eIapsed between peSsimism and optimism
Had the Venezuela matter not been adJusteu'
had the Alaska boundary treaty not been maze
and ratified, had Lord Dunraven and MI hed
mond not put their names side by SIDE on lhe
Land Commissions report and had Mr. Cnam-
berlain not gone to South Africa and exercised
there his marvellous gifts of leadersh1p-Iar
different would have been the tone OF MS
majestys speech of yesterday Ihls sudoeh
shifting of political and diplomatic scenes is TO
be regarded. however, not in the least as depre-
ciating the stability of present conditions, Dut
merely as an illustration Of the way In Whlch
history is sometimes made
In such circumstances the Kings speech was
easily and in good faith made a buoyant and
hopeful one 1t might be described as an ag-
gressive one. At any rate it maps out an I'M
commonly advantageous fighting ground for rne
Ministry. and thus again disappoints the nu-
merous and fluent prophets of evil. Within the
last three wears how often has utter smash
for the Unionst government If not for Eng
land herself, been cocksurey forecast. The
South African war meant ruin. Surely the
bills at the end of it would swamp everybody
concerned in them, especially since an 1nlqul-
tous tax had been put upon the bread OF the
people. The Education bill we were told. had
sealed the doom of Mr.. Balf0ur and his Cabinet
OF course there was always the Irish trouble
which could know no amelioration until the
ghost Of GIadstonian home rule was reincar-
mated and made potent for the dismemberment
of the empire. And so on forebodings with
out end To-day they have all faded out OF
sight and sound Serenity, confidence and hope
prevail on every hand. 1t is time in which
the King and his Ministers. and indeed the
British nation may we'll feel heartiest gratifca-
ton.
The Uaited States is more than ordinarily
concerned, too in the Kings speech or in the
matters with which it deals. Especial empha-
sis. we arn told was laid upon the passage re-
lating to the Alaska boundary treaty, meas
IRE which Americans and Englishmen join in
hoping will lead to the final settlement OF the
last question at issue between the two coun-
tries. The Venezuela matter is also one or
much concern to this country, and, while tech
nicaIly the expected settlement Of the Irish
land troubles is purely domestic affair to the
British Empire obvious circumstances make it
scarcely less interesting to the United States
than to the United Kingdom. It is to be OBJ
served too. that in some Of the speeches made
on the address yesterday the maintenance and
cultivation of friendly relations between Great
Britain and America occupied much earnest at
tention The general British outlook, not only
for this session. but for so much of the future
| as can properly be made the subject of fore
| casting is encouraging and hopeful to the
British themselves, and is reassurng and graft
| flying TO the nation whose relationship to Great
| Britain is so intimate and reciprocally i'm
| pOrtaut