The Northern Guardian. — 1898-01-26 (Hartlepool, Cleveland, England)

THE UNIONIST CAMPAIGN.  FURTHER MEETINGS.  ENTHUSIASM FOR MR LAM BTON.  GATHERING AT CASTLE EDEN.  The Hon. F. W. Lambton addreesed a meeting last evening in the Drill Hall, Castle Eden. Mr R. Burdon presided. Mr LAMBTON, who was heartily received, dealt again with the origin of the frontier war, end observed that it was ridiculous to speak of it as an aggreftsive war, when three British officers were murdered, and several men killed and wounded. He asked whether it was possible for any Government to pass over acts of that kind. They could not allow them to go unpunished, because if they gave these tribes the idea that they would let acts of this kind go unheeded, our own frontiers and those of Afghanistan would never 4), safe. They would also be likely to lose the ;present hold upon India. There had been an eclipse of the sun in India, and the natives had been regarding it as a portent that English rule was coining to an end. Many of the natives of India liked change, though under foreign dominion they were better oft than under their own princes. A.nd in the interest of the natives of India, it would be a very bad thing if British rule did come to an end. If they were to maintain that rule they must maintain it strongly and jcstly. In India the English had done great good, and the natives were the better for that rule. But  THE ENGLISH POLICY in dealing with Asiatics must be a firm one. If they were going to allow fanaticism and Moslem hatred to go on, and not be punished when it attacked Englishmen, English rule in India must came to an end. They must keep their hold upon that country, and he thought it was ridiculous to blame the Government for the outbreak on the Indian frontier. He thought the biame might be laid in another direction. When the Concert of Europe was striving for peace, English Radical members of Parliament wrote to Greece urging her to make an attack upon Turkey. That wave spread from Turkey to the frontier of India, and if there was a war now, it was as much owing to the action of these members of Parliament as anything else. Sir Joseph Pease also said that they bad no interest in Egypt, but they had a great deal of interest there. 'this country owned 29 million shares in the Suez Canal, and 50 per cent. of the trade of Egypt went through England or English hands- Was that not sufficient to say that this country had material interests in Egypt? But England had another interest there; they bad obligations to the Egyptian people which they were bound, as an honourable nation, to carry out. Further than that, they undertook nit only to work for the salvation of Egypt, but also for the salvation of the poor people of the Soudan themselves. The foreign policy of the Government was in a satisfactory condition at the present time, and the Government deserved support in their endeavour to prevent British interests from being trampled abroad. Lord alisbury was also doing what w-as right and just in regard to Egypt, considering the legacy that was left him. (Cheers). Mr Chamberlain had also done more to cement the ties that bound THE COLONIES to this country than any other statesman. The more the Empire extended the more was it important that its defence should be properly attended to Foreign nations were now trying to colonise in a way they had not done before, and though England did not object to that, they were determined that they should not be allowed to take away British trade or British territory. ;•_-hnne of these nations would like to seize upon some of these British colonies, and, therefore, a strong foreign policy was necessary, and that the people should be strongly united at home. This question of union he considered of the utmost importance at the present time, especially between the colonies and the mother country. If it was important that the anion of the colonies should be maintained, it was also deeply important that they should have union in these islands. In 1886, end again in 1895, the people of this country decided that they would have Union, and not Home Rule. They did not consider Home Rule a good measure, and also that by giving a Parliament to Ireland would be a bad thing for this country. and perhaps lead to  .