ENGLAND’S DANGER.

Te Aroha News, Volume XIV, Issue 2104, 17 May 1898, Page 2

ENGLAND’S DANGER.

IMPORTANT MINISTERIAL UTTERANCES. SPEECHES BY THE PREMIER AND MR CHAMBERLAIN. THE FOREIGN OUTLOOK. GRAVITY OF THE SITUATION 4 emphasised. ~ - | WAR NEAR. THE SPEECHES PRODUCE A ' SENSATION. London, May 14. Lord Salisbury, speaking at a semiprivate dinner given by city bankers, referred to the gravity of the foreign outlook. ’ . The Premier said it was necessary that England should look facts in the face., ■■ It is surmised that Lord v Salisbury refers to the French claims, on th® Niger and in Yunan. Mr Chamberlain, the- Colonial Secretary, in a sjoeoh at Birmingham, said that Britain, by following a policy of strict isolation, was liable to be contented at any mom at by a combination of Great Powers. All parts of tbe Empire were already drawn together* and through it was infused a spirit of Imperial patriotism, end a sense of common interest in trad© defence. . Now that war was near, felt their next duty was to maintain the bonds of permanent unity with their transatlantic kinsmen, whose interests were identical with ours, and more definite tr.angementa with whom would be better ier both and the world. War, he said, would ho cheaply purchased if it result* d in the Stirs and Stripes and the Un-oii Jack waving together over an Anglo'axon alliance. Momentous issues were before us, and the iae might come before Icing, when the Government must appeal to th® patriotism of tb® people v Unless Great Britain was i>lied with a military Power, she would be unable to seriously injure Russia, and Russia would be unable to injure her. Going on to speak of Russia, he said 4 if Great Britain entered into an alliance with that Power, whocould guarantee Russia’s loyalty. Referring to th© Chinese question, he said that so far there had only been a preliminary skirmish; in China, but if a policyof isolation waafollowed by Britain, the fate of th© Chineses Empire would hereafter be decided w thout reference to and in defiance of ; < ar iotert-.sU. . . Biifcain* he asserted, 'iatU& not reject alliances with ti cs© Powers whose interests ar© approximate to her own. This speech of Mr Chamberlain’s and the speech of Lord Salisbury hav© .. made a great sensation.