YESTERDAY’S NEWS.

Evening Star, Issue 3121, 19 February 1873, Page 3

YESTERDAY’S NEWS.

THE CABLE NEWS.

The substance of the Queen’s Speech lias reached us, through the agency of the electric telegraph, twelve days only after its delivery, and wo arc thus put in possession of the questions that will agitate society at Home during the next six months. It must be felt by everyone that our position now as an integral portion of the Empire, brought into communication with its centre while the events proposed are pending, is calculated to increase our interest in those parliamentary subjects which will engage the attention of the Imperial Legislature. There is nothing very exciting in the programme marked out for the session. Those protracted disputes that in old times would have been settled, right or wrong, by the law of the strongest, have been disposed of. Of course, the old leaven crops up at Home just as it does in New Zealand. Mr Disuaeli is in opposition, and, ’could wo have heard his speech, wc should no' doubt have been treated with a repetition of the dull old story, occasionally retailed by our Dunedin contemporary, of the loss of England’s prestige and honor, through adopting a policy of justice instead of violence. Perhaps ho might not have talked quite such outrageous nonsense as sometimes finds its way into the world through that outlet. Politicians of his school are becoming ashamed of such poetry as they used to quote, when some dreary old Tory, in lovo with the past, deplored that “ The sun of England’s glory was sotforever.” Letusbc thankful thatour glorious old parent lives, is getting rich, enjoys peace, and that, on the whole, John Bull is getting on comfortably with his neighbors. Her Majesty says so, and there can be little doubt about it. It is difficult to know what the Tories wish. When they step into power they generally outbid the Liberals in their attempts to retain it; but always contrive to botch their own cause by some inconsistency. If Mr Disbaeli were in power to-morrow, he would have to sanction the evacuation of St. Juan, and the payment of the Alabama claims ; nobody knows that better than he; but it is an opportunity not to bo let slip to say a few words that the people are ready to swallow. Wc do not suppose those who can see so far into the politics of Russia as might lead to a suspicion that they were bosom friends of the Emperor, will be satisfied that the Eng : lish and Russian Governments can agree upon Asiatic policy. In their notions, Russia is an insatiable bear, and England an idiot waiting for its Indian Empire to be eaten up by it. They may rest quite contented it will not be in their life time ; and if not then, it will most probably never be attempted. Much would have to be done to give even the shadow of a chance of success, if the Indo-British possessions are to be attacked from that quarter. The Russian army would have to fight the British in front and the Khivans in the rear, and most probably the Affghans as well, paid by British gold. It is, however, something to find fault about, without which an opposition would die out.

With regard to domestic affairs, the long list of subjects shews that at Homo there is more to be done in the way of reform than in the Colonies. The lesson should be taught us, in fact, that most of the reforms rendered necessary in them, have become so because of our early settlers having followed English customs, even when they were proved to be working badly. The Colonies have been experimental ground for Home legislation. They Lave taken the lead in popular education, the ballot, and extension of the suffrage, and now land transfer arrangements are to be made, or at least attempted. The late Sir Roukkt Peel used to say forty years of agitation was required at Home before even an urgent reform could bo effected. It must be nearly that period since first the simplification of the mode of transfering land was mooted. Its success in South Australia and New Zealand are strong arguments in favor of an alteration, but we do not think it will be effected this session. Another of those inconsistencies for which English'] sentimentalists are remarkable, appears in the move forced upon the' Government of Great Britain to suppress slavery in Zanzibar. They are going to interfere in a kingdom with widen they have no political tie, and leave slavery untouched in the British Colony of Queensland. In the “ British Quarterly Review ” of July, 1872, is a passage on what is known as the gospel of trade. The writer points out that only in exceptional cases is trade a civilizer. He says of the apostles of the gospel of trade—

They are determined to make money in their own way, and they are delighted if. anyone proves that their way of growing rich is conducive to the world’s good. Not that they would leave off if the reverse was made plain to them : no; if you show that their way of growing Queensland cotton or Fiji arrowroot is destroying the iiMerg as fast as they can he

destroyed, they will talk about “ rotting races ” in the spirit of the backwoodsman, who “improves” his Indians off the facfe of the earth. If you show that, besides the dying out of a whole race, its poor remnants are, by the tricks of tluir devil’s-missionaries, turned hopelessly against that Christianity which might else be their comfort in their decay, they will either warn you against listening to meddlers’ tales, or else, with brazen hypocrisy, they will assert that it is really a good thing for the poor Polynesian to be tom from his island and taken to the labor-field and the barrack, because there “ he will be brought in contact with the influences of a Christian civilization.” We repudiate such a miserable repitition of subterfuges, which good Bishop Las Casas in his latter days bitterly repented having given way to.