AN IMPERIAL APPEAL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 561, 16 July 1909, Page 6

AN IMPERIAL APPEAL.

I'LORD ROSEBERY'S GREAT SPEECH.) "LITTLE- ENGLAND" AND HER CHILDREN. ~--..■ ■It .will "be remembered that the cable reported • early.. Inst month that Lord Rosebery ha<l' made a splendid speech-on Juno 5 at the banquet of welcomb tendered by the British press to' the delegates, to the. Press Conference. The .cable message, unfortunately, consisted chiefly of enthusiastic comments.on the character of the 6pecch', and contained very, littlo of what Lord Rosebery actually., said. Wo print, fuller-extracts .below. "Welcome Home," was the keynote ■of the, speech. "Yes, Gentlemen," said Lord Rosebery, "that is the motto of this, occasionwelcome to; your home, (Renewed cheers'.) Many of you.have never seen your.home, and you will-6ee something in the course of •'the next fortnight of which I will not boast, but which in. its way is unmatched in the .world. (Cheers.) .You will.seo an ancient'and,stately, civilisation. .You.will see that embodied in our abbeys . and . cathedrals, built' in -tho age of faith, and surviving to testify that faith, is, not. dead in Britain. (Renewed cheers.) You will see it in the ancient colleges of: Oxford arid Cambridge and St. Andrew's.and Aberdeen—shrines of- learning!'-: which are venerable not only from their antiquity. You will, see as you, pass "about the, country; littlo villages, clustered about the heaven-directed spires as they have-'clustered ;for and you-, will see the ancient mother -of all: Parliaments,. the most ;venerablo, progenitor, of free •■ institutions, the Houses of ; Commons. (Cheers.) ,1 cannot promise.-: you an. even greater pleasure in seeing the House of Lords, because , that will not' be. sitting: during' the period of your visit.. ("Oh, oh," and laughter.). Throughout the country - you will- 6ee those houses where • the, squirearchy of Great Britain have lived for centuries, almost all,of them inhabited before the discovery of' America—a civilisation of country life .which I a'dvise'you to see-oh your, present- visit, because when you nest come it may not be, here - for you to see if. (Laughter.)' Speeding.'onwards from these rural scenes,' from all this, which is embodied history, and which represents the antiquity and the tradition ~ of thousand years, go on to the'teeming communities which represent the manufactures',' the energy, and the alertness of'the commercial life; of .Great Britain; and, last of all; surrounding all and guarding it, you 'Will see a prodigious armada and a prodigious but always inadequate army. All of these, .gentlemen,-: are yours as: much as possessions, your pride, and your home.", (Cheers.) . • '■'.'," ■I After' a witty and fanciful. - exposition .of : a dream that he dreamed—that itho British Parliament .might pack-up.'a'nd.jgo ori.-a.two.-ycar tour "of -the .Empire,', the Peers" being., charged steamer Rosebery becamei serious and eloquent on,the tdpicbf ilriiperial'defence. He-' said:— ',':,-. .-.'■' ,' '; : ...:--:,-.-.;.-: '.'!''•'!.■■■'. ■ "You.will.forgive me if.l come next,' and at onoe, to what ,is by far: the. most- vital-topic that, you will have to discuss-'at the -conference, or which .concerns, our. Empire: as,.'a whole—l>: mcah- -that 'of;• Imperial ■■■■■ defence, (Cheers.) i.:l do -not know; that I'haveevei seen a condition of things' in Europe"; so remarkable/,, so peaceful, and in some; respects so menacing, as tho condition, whioh. exists at thi6. moment There is. a.hush in EurorK —a hush in which one might 'almost heai a leaf fallVto the, ground.'There is'ari absolute-' absence of any questions which ordi-narily-lead .to war. One; of the great, empire: which is :6ometimes, supposed; to. -menaci peace, -is entirely, engrossed, with -its-domes tic, affair's., .':"Another■• great; Eastern- empire, which'has furnished a perpetual probleih'foi Eur.opean -statesmen,' has taken, a rieV, lea'sa of life ' arid youth in searching for liberty and-., constitutional!'reform. ..;'-AJU, then;- forbbdes peace.'and yet,' at- the same. time,-:,com-bined'jWith'--this-total- absence* of all questions Of friction, there never was. in the history of the world- so "threatening and -overpowering: a preparation,for war. ' That,is the sign which" I regard as the; most, .ominous for . forty years. '. '•■'", ..'.'/ '.-'■.. ''' .:;-.■. i,.',' ..'.'lt has ! beonv a'-, platitude ■ .to say.'.that "air' Europ- is '.'an-' armed cainpV. and for .forty years, it.has been truo. that all; nations have been -facing ; each . other arnied to the teeth';; and- has'; beeril' in' .some,..'respects,.. ;a guarantee of peace!, -Now, what-do- we.see? Now,' without ;'anyj. tangible, reason, ' we', see the nations, preparing new arms.'.'--They' cannot; indeed, arm any'more'men upon land. They have to seek , hew armaments upou the sea, piling up this enormous .preparation'in the time of profou'udest peace. Wo' live in the diidst of -What 'I 'think- was called by Petrarch, 'Silens : Bellum —a silent ' warfare in which not a' dtop of.. blood is shed in. anger, 'but in which the. very last • drop /is 'extracted' from the body, by' the lancets of the! European statesmen. I admit there are features •of , that ' war which must cause ; special anxiety to .the friends of, 1 Great' Britain and of the British : Empire,' but I will riot'dwell upon this to. night' I will only, say this—that I will, ask you, while in this, country, to compare carefully tho armamerits,. ofvEurope with, our preparations to meet;'them,', andbgive your, impressions to, the,(Empire'.in. return. 1,-feel confident, in. the resolution.'and -power .of-, this country "to meet' any reasonable corijunctiori of affairs;' but, : when; I,see 'this putting,.out of; navies everywhere, whenM seeVone.country ; alone .asking-, for X25,000;000.': extra -taxation for warlike : preparations!..and: the un-; precederited sacrifices which,;-are asked on the same grounds,''l "do- begin ;to feel unedsy as to the':outcome of- it all.'-andf wonder where -it-will stop; and. if-it is merely,'going'to bring ■'Europe into: a'state, of'barbarism, or whether 'it.'will cause a castastrophe of which the work-, men'of; the world -will say, '.We;«will have-no more, of'this madness and '■- foolery, -which -is grinding .us. to. powder.'.'.■■-'-■';■?';''*• v;.-'-'■!•• ■;•",; _ "Gentlemen, we can and-will build: Dreadnoughts, or whatever the newest 'type ..'of - ship .may be—(loud cheers)—as long as we have a shilling to spend• or'a 'man:to put: into them. (Renewed: cheers.) .All that we lean ?-and' will do,-but-be sure that.'even that' will 'not.-be! enough. - I.:think. it-may .'be-your'/duty, to-take .back, to your ;dominioni;across the, seas,.;thismessage and this impression—that, sonic- personal .duty and responsibility for national ■■ do-' fence rests;, on every man and citizen 'of'the Empire.;; (Loud cheers.) Yes, ~ take that .message back .with-you. 'Jell;-your; peoples,, if they.can. believe it, the-deplornblo way' in which Europe is' lapsing into militarism, :and.the pressure- that; is- put upon-ithis-little England' to-, defend .'itself,-; its liberty ;and yours. (Loud cheers.) But'take this message; back with-you—that the Old. Country is right"' at heart';. that there, is .no failing or'; weakness in her; and that- she-rejoices in her giant'dominions beyond the seas. -(Cheers,) ..For'"her own salvation- she must;;look, to herself,:-and that failing, that, sho' rnrist-.; dook. r t.o:,; you. (Cheers.):. I- know-.that -whatever..''may be the outcome of. this visit, you kill-return ened to your high functions-as guides of your communities in the matters of the nation, 'andyou will return,,-1, hope,, convinced . of, the' necessity of the mission of the communion-:of Commonwealths, -which- constitutes the British Empire. -Having come;' 1,-hope,■ believers:in that- faith, - you ; will return ■ to your, home missionaries of.-the-.most extensive arid/most un--1 selfish, empire which'; is known' to- hrstory.' (Cheers.) V..: - ■-' ..;■■ ... .' ': .'■■ "I will end as I began.; After-all, I may. ; .speak to; you for.,hours,:.and. I canonly sum .'up what, I have., to say in' the' two '"-simple' words with which I began-r-'Welcome home'— welcome horiie. to ' the home of. your language, arid\your liberties,-.arid. :your" race—wolcomc home to the squrce-of your" Parliaments, yoiir free institutions, and of this immeasurable Empire—welcome home to supreme head of all these dominions, your Sovereign and;mine,;who ; is; riot merely the King of Great Britain, but the King of hcaTts. (Loud cheers.) Welcome home to this, and to anything besides that we in all brotherhood and .'affection' can- offer' you—welcome home!" (Loud,cheers).