LORD PLUNKET.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1332, 9 January 1912, Page 7

LORD PLUNKET.

A CHARACTERISTIC SPEECH. IX HAl'I'Y VIU.X. Lord Plunki'l, ps-Cinvornor of "Sew ZraIhikl, was the , principal (juoht: at a dinner of thr Club, held lit Prince's Ueshiunuit', J.ondun, recently. Sir William Hall-Junes. for New. Zealand, wa.i in (he rhair, unci the guo.-ts included Captain ](. Muirheacl Collins (Sreretary I" tho Commonwealth). Ueut.-Colonol Sir Nnwlon .1. JLooro (Agent-General l'or Western Australia), Sir Cornthwaite JI. Runson, .Mr. Alfred Kidd (New Zealand), 11 r. Juincs I'ulliir (Melbourne), and Jlr. F. Gralinm ]jloycl (honcrary secretary to the dub). After the usual loyal toasts, the chairman proposed "The Guest of the Club." In replying, Lord Plunket said:—"l. desire to thank your chairman for the kind words lir has used in Riibniitting this I oust, and you for the nay in which you have received it. More jiartiffularly do 1 wish to acknowledge the lionour your club hus done me in making me tho guest of the evening. And yet [ must admit that my feelings of gratitude arts mingled with a ctrtain sense of apprehension. This is the Anglo-Saxon Club, pledged, I presume, in its more serious moments to honour and exalt the men of its race. Now I (for I mast throw myself upon your mercy before you discover it yourselves) am neither Anglo nor Saxon, but one of those wretched Celts. . Nay, worse than that—a mongrel; for the Plunlccts wore originally Danish adventurers (pirates their enemies called them), who descended upoii Ireland, married into the most prosperous families they could find, ami became nioro Irish than the Irish themselves. "Well, gentlemen, when I remember that the Colts and the Danes ivero two of tha most worrying enemies the AngloSaxons had to deal with, I don't know which to marvel at most, my temerity in making this confession, or your equanimity upon receiving it. But. perhaps there is a saving clause fin i mny rehabilitate me in your eyes. Ihe Into Lord Dufferin once said at a bcotch dinner given in his honour that he was a Scotchman greatly improved by 300 years' residence in Ireland. Well, I am an Irishman greatly improved by thirteen years' residence in New Zealand, and my. life there was so happy a one, my work so full of interest, and the great future of that , country so plainly evident at every turn that though we may differ over the word 'Anglo-Saxon' we shall bo entirely one upon the great sentiment you use it to represent. This club, I fully appreciate, is doing a useful work in bringing together men interested in the Empire, and though to say this to you is a truism, it is not so self-evident a fact to tho outside public as it should be. "I am a firm opponent of the view that it is mainly self-interest which binds our Empire together, for all my observation goes to show, that sentiment plays just as great a part.; Each, part of the Dinpiro has, of course, its own special interests, and its own growing national life, and (I may add) every colonist is satisfied that his land could, show ..every other part of the Empire—and especially the Old Country—a Rood many wrinkles. But sentiment remains—and, please. God, will remain—a tremendous factor in all our problems, and the bringing together of our people i 3 of tho very first importance. I venture to think, therefore, that there, is no more important work than finding some way greatly to reduce tho cost of our cable mossnges, push forward the All Ked route, seek how we can lessen the time, taken by our mail steamers, and back up, to the best of our abilities, such societies as the Victoria. League, which welcomo3 at Home and abroad the travelling Briton. This seems humdrum and ordinary work when put-beside tho interesting questions so ably served up by experts like Jlr. Jebb and Dr. Parkyn, but for myself I am much moro concerned about, when wo shall get a_ big .reduction in ■ cable rates, than in .the but academical .discussion, as to Colonial Nationalism vorsus Imperialism.