The Saint Paul globe., 1905-03-26
VOICES THE IDEAS
Of THE LIBERALS s
Sir Edward Grey Discusses
irish and Colonial
Questions
Special Foreign Service.

LONDON, March 25. = Sir Edward
Nrey' M. 2, was the chief speaker at
{. hoeraI mass meeting at Cheltenhan
LUIS week He said if there was time
when the people of this country shouId
put iiauonal before local considerations
.he forthcoming election would provide
II. turning to the case of Sir ANTHONY
MacDonneu, Who though a liberal and
favorable to the government of Ire
land in accordance with Irish ideas
mad been appointed under secretary of
ireland. he said that either Sir An
thony should not have been annoir+ad
under secretary at all, or. if he had
been, he should have been warned +o
De exceedingly careful in his action.
The arrangement was, however. quite
the contrary Sir Anthony was told
that, although his views differed from,
those of the government, he was to
nave greater position, greater free
dom, and greater influence than anv
other under secretary had ever had
before. What was the meaning of
that? He believed at that time Mr..
Wyhdham was deliberately entering
upoI! pollcy of governing Ireland ac-
cordlng to Irish ideas. He believed
the truth was that the government Mad
had lucid interval and embarked on
new policy. But in the government
was an Irishman who was solicitor
general for England, and he and the
ulster members had bitterly attacked
me government for showing sympathy
toward Irish national feeling. The
government had shown that. though If
was dissatisfied with the present sys-
tenn OF governing Ireland, vet it had
not courage enough to alter it; that
though 1t was now embarrassed by Sir
Anthony MacDonnell it could not do
without him. One good thing about
the government was that it was al
ways providing programmes for its
successors. and its successors might
well md their programme with regard
to Ireland in taking up the sympa
thetlc policy where the present gov
ernment had dropped it, But they
would not hear of this matter in con-
much of foreign policy, the parrot cry
OF conservatives in Distress But
when they talked of foreign policy
what policy did they mean? Was
1t the policy of the long spoon. or
of the triple alliance of Great Britain,
the United States and Germany which
Mr.. Chamberlain had been anxious to
bring about, but which had been drop
ped because the countries chiefly con-
cerned did not take kindly to the idea?
he believed in working harmoniousIy
with the United States, but he did not
believe that country would enter into
such formal alliance as that pro-
posed again. Did they mean the for
elgn policy which had moved British
ships out of Port Arthur to let the
Russian ships in? 1t was well to re-
member history sometimes, as they did
not wish these things to be repeated
referring TO the Japanese alliance, he
declared that the successors of the
government would honorably carry out
all the obligations it imposed on them.
Ihe agreemeN with France would also
be maintained in a sympathetic spirit.
He was strongly in favor of a con-
terence between the leading colonial
and home statesmen, a policy which
had always been favored by liberals;
but he would have such conferences
regularly called to consider general
topics; he would not throw among
them the apple of discord in the form
OF proposal for preferential tariffs.
They would inevitably go away from
such a conference disappointed and
with a sense of failure. The colonies
said with perfect frankness that they
would not give us free trade within
the empire, nor lower their duties
What they would do would be to put
up tariffs against the foreigners If we
would tax food. Great Britains an
swer to that should also be frank. She
is not prepared to do it. Turning to
the educational question, he declared
that the time had arrived for full pub
lie control, which could be gained by
expanding the present system in such
a way that denominational teaching
could be given out of school hours
where parents desired it. and paid for
out of private funds. He denounced
the governments bungling in regard to
the army, with the result that officers
scarcely knew whether they were at
tached to divisions, army corps or
Sunday school districts. Under the
governments change of systems the
army had no rest, and the taxpayer
no relief. They should put Great Brit
aims army on a business footing, bear
ing in mind that her navy was the
chief line of home defense, and en-
courage militia and volunteers. Real
patriotism was not strong in language,
but deep in feeling. For instance, any
sacrifice should be made to defend In
dia from attack, not because India
was rich and big, but because India
had never been better governed than
it had under the British flag. At home
they were faced by great problems
at the heart of the empire, and they
could only maintain their proud posi-
tiOn by encouraging and fostering the
political freedom on which their great