Widnes Examiner. — 1899-02-10 (Widnes, Cheshire, England)

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE O- F LORDS. THE QUEEN'S SPEECH.  The fifth session of the fourteenth Parliament of the Queen was opened on Tuesday, by Commii,sioa in the House of Loris. The Queen's Speech, which was read by the LORD CHANCELLOR, opened with the statement that relations with other Powers centinued friendly. Reference was then made to the Soudan txpedition and to the appointment of Prince George of Greece as Governor of Crete. The Tsar's Rescript was next spoken of. The Queen had gladly signified her wiliingoess to take part in the deliberations of the Conference " to. consider the possibility of limiting the vast armaments which impose so heavy a burden on every nation." The murder of the Austrian Empress and the recent Conference in Rome upon Anarchism were touched upon, and it was stated that some amendment of the law in reference to the latter subject would be submitted for the conside:ation of Parliament. The Speech then alluded to the West Indian hurricanes,after which came an expresstcn of great satisfac:ion at the Cape contribution ot the navy. The first part of the Speech concluded with a reference to the plague in India. With regard to domestic legislation, the Speech gave the first and second places to a Bill " for more fully orgaicising the government of the metropolis" and a Bill for the establiihment of a " board fo r the administration of primary, seconcitry, and technical education. Some ten other measures were mentimei.  The business sitting of the House of Lords commenced at a quarter-past four, when the DUKE of BEDFORD moved and the EARL of CAWDOR sec mded the Address in reply to the speech from the Throne. The EARL Of KIMBERLEY followed, and in the course of his criticism of the contents of the Royal Speech said he could not but regard the question of our position in the Soudan as an import ant and grave matter, and owned that he was a little perplexed by the allusion to the complete subjogati;.n of the territories which had been brought under the dominion of the Khalifa. He gathered that if these territories had rot been completely subjugated, it was the policy of the Government to complete that work. The announcement that the Soudan had been taken possession of in the names of her MAJESTY and of the KHEDIVE sermed to him to be fraught with very far reaching consequences. What must be meant, he thought, was that we had practically made the Soudan a pert of the British Empire ; and the assumption of so huge a territory involved re ponsibilities or a very serious nature, especially in regard to the troops by whom order was to be pr.,served. As regarded China, he pressed the Government to give • the country full information as to the present condition of affairs, and as to the policy they intended to pursue.— The MARQUIS of SALISBURY replying, said as to the use of the word subjugation with reference to the Soudan, subjugation was used in the ordinary sense—that was to say. we had conquered the political power by which these territories were held, had seizsd the capital, and were administering the affairs of the country with a view of bringing it into a condition of security: He did not thirk that the strain upon the British Army would be at all severe. As to the policy of the Government in Claire, thP future of that country did not lie in our bands. The Government would see that treaties were faithfully carried out, and that rothing was done by China or other nations which could interfere with cur rights. Our policy there was to promote the trade of this coontry ; and to suppose that we were contemplating the acquirement of territory in China was absurd.—Lord STANMORE having added a few words, the Addrets was agreed to, the Earl of Morley was reappointed Chairman of Committees, and the House adj mrned at ton minutes past six.