The Washington herald., 1917-05-06
House Rises instantly.

tered, escorted by Representative FLOOD,
OF Virginia, chairman OF the Committee
on Foreign Affairs.
House Rises Instantly.
The House rose instantly. The ap-
plause spread. The galleries Joined in
the cheering. and finding itself unequal
to meeting the tremendous occasion with
mere handclapping, the House and the
galleries cheered and cheered again.
Behind Balfour strode Lieut.. Gen
Bridges in the olive drab fighting toggery
OF the. British army. Next came Rear
Admiral De Chair. The House greeted
the representatives Of the fighting forces
with the same generosity as that which
welcomed Balfour, and the roar continued
until the former premier had taken his
place on the rostrum beside Speaker
Clark. Then the Speaker said:
I present the Right Hon. Arthur James
Balfour, principal British Secretary of
State for Foreign Affairs"
Again the House roared its greeting,
and after moment of attention Mr.. Bal
four began.
Mr.. Speaker, ladies and gentlemen Of
the House OF Representatives: viii you
permit me, on behalf OF my friends and
myself 10 offer you my deepest and sin
cerest thanks for the rare and valued
honor which you have done us by receiv-
ing US here today? We all feel the
greatness OF this honor, but 1 think TO
none of us can it come home so closely
as TO one who, like myself, has been for
forty-three years in the service OF a free
assembly like your own. ! rejoice to
think that member, a very old member,
Of the British House of Commons. has
been received here today by this great
sister assembly with such kindness as
you have shown to me and my friends"
Mr.. BaIfour's opening acknowledgment
was warmly received. The House has
ever possessed an Unborn habit of en-
)oying complimentary remarks addressed
to itself, and it showed 1t joyously
ladies and gentlemen, these two as
semblies are the greatest and the oldest
OF the free assemblies now governing
great nations in the world. The history
indeed of the two is very different. The
beginnings OF the British house OF com
mons go back to the dim history OF
the past, and its full rights and status
have only been conquered and per-
manently secured after centuries OF
political struggle. Your fate has been
happier one. You were called into
existence at much later stage of social
development. You came into being COM
plete and perfected and all your powers
determined and your place in the Con-
stitution secured beyond chance of
revolution, but, though the history of
these two great assemblies is different
each of them represents the great dem
ocratic principles which We look forward
10 as the security for the future peace
OF the world"
Again the House INDUCED in a whirl-
wind OF cheers and applause while Mr..
Balfour, taking breath, looked over the
great hall with a look OF high appreCia-
ton in his deep eyes
IAN OF the free assemblies, now TO be
found governing the great nations of the
earth" he resumed. have been modelled
either upon your practice or upon ours.
or upon both.
Note of BItterness.
1t is quite true that the people and
the representatives. of the people may be
betrayed by some momentary gust OF pas
sion which they ultimately deplore. but
II is only military dcspotism OF the
German type that can. through genera
tions, il need be, pursue steadily, re-
morselessly, unscrupulously, and appaIl-
ingly the object of dominating the civil
lization of mankind"
The applause this time held a note of
bitterness. 1t resembled more growl
than a cheer.
And mark you, this evil, this menace
under which We are now suffering is not
one which diminishes with the growth of
knowledge and of progress of material
civilization out on the contrary 1t in
creases with them. When ] was young
we used 10 fiatter ourselves that progress
inevitably meant peace and that growth
of knowledge was always accompanied. as
its natural fruit, by the growth of good
will among the nations of the earth. I'm
happily We know better now, and We
know that there is such thing in the
world as power which can with unvary-
ing persistency focus all the resources OF
knowledge and OF civilization into the
one great task of making itself the moral
and material master Of the world. 1t is
against that danger that We. the free
peoples of western civilization, have
banded ourselves together"
Applause greeted this statement of the
purposes of the two peoples. but it