Year: 1878

not expect that, what did you expect !?
CHear, hear The truth is, that those
whom was once taken to task for
calling our employers-the public-have
not from the beginning of this business to
the.end known their own minds for six
months together. Laughter Twoyears
ago it would have been almost dangerous
for any man to get up at public meeting
and express in plain terms his doubt as to
the disinterested philanthropy of Russia.
Now the cry is all the other way; and as
believe | have been an object of criticism
in these two agitations, may speak with
impartiality; and 1 must say that the fool
ishness and the virulence of each does not
leave much to choose between the two.
If l could from this place address the
English people 1 would venture to ask
them how they can expect to have for
eign policy-I do not say farsighted, but
even consistent and intelligent, if within
eighteen months the great majority of
them are found asking for things di-
rectly contradictory. GCheersl When
we might have saved Turkey if we had
chosen not voice was raised in favor of
that course, and now, when the enemy, if
you choose to call her so, is still lodged at
or near Constantinople, nearly everybody
is crying that we ought to turn him out.
| venture to ask whether a war for the
sake of influence would be a war worthy
Of US. We have seen the experiment
tried on great scale not so very long
ago. That was the motive, you may say
the avOwed motive, which led the late
Emperor Of the French to pick perfectly
purposeless and senseless Quarrel with
Germany. We know how that ended,
and 1 do not think the author of that war
was much pitied Grant that we should
be more fortunate, that we were successful
and obliged Russia to give back nearly
allshe had taken. What then? TCheers. I
You will not have gained the greater part
Of your object You viii not have de-
stroyed Russian influence or substituted
English influence, because Russian inAu-
ence in the country which is now to be
called Bulgaria rests only in a slight de-
gree upon military success; it rests on
what you cannot take away-identity of
race, community of religion, similarity of
religion, traditional historic sympathies,
and the common hatred which has been
felt against the common foe. These are
reasons which you cannot take away; they
will continue while a Russian soldier is
left in Bulgaria; they would continue even
after Russian soldiers had left and Eng
glish soldiers taken their place"


off, therefore, we were fortunate and
established English and Austrian authori-
ty overthOse large populations in European
Turkey, ] say you are fighting for a
shadow, and even that shadow you viii
not obtain. 1 thought this was conven-
lent time to offer these general remarks on
the policy which lies before US. admit,
of course, there are circumstances by
which we may be forced into war; but 1
think that prima facie there is great obli-
cation to undertaking to accomplish by war
that which, if you are to gain your object in
the most complete and efficient manner,
will have to be done again in 20 or %
years. We thought the work was done
in 1856, and we know how far that expec-
tation was disappointed. certainly shall
rejoice if my friends, by peaceful aud
diplomatic action, obtain those results for
which they hope, shall not be inclined
to reproach them, if, still con6ning them
selves to the use of peaceable means, they
obtain results considerably inferior to those
put forward. l must say require some
thing more than any of the reasons and ar
guments have heard, either in this House
or out of it, to show me that, in the cir
cumstances which now seem lilely to arise
there s casus 5eUi. Unless such war be
absolutely forced upon US, l object TO it,
because it viii be a war undertaken with
out necessity, because it viii be a war un-
dertaken without clear and defined object
before us, and because it win be undertak-
en- with a divided country, and, in ali
probability, without an ally. [Cheers.l