Slike stranica
PDF
ePub
[ocr errors]

National Liberal Federation Meetings: Resolutions as to Corn Duty, Education,

and Home Rule-Lord Rosebery on Education Bill-Mr. Chamberlain at

Birmingham, on Education Bill and Inter-Imperial Commercial Relations-

Sir H. Campbell- Bannerman at Darlington-Co-operative Congress-Edu-

cation Estimates in Commons-Tributes to Lord Pauncefote-Debates on

Naval Construction and Factory Law Administration-Peace in South Africa:

Universal Joy; Friendly Public Feeling towards the Boers; King's Message;

Announcements in Parliament-Education Bill in Committee, and Opinions

Outside-Loan Bill Read a Third Time in Commons: Chancellor of the

Exchequer's Revised Budget Figures-Votes of Thanks to Troops, and Grant

to Lord Kitchener-Speeches by Mr. Morley and Lord Strathcona-Finance

Bill Debates in Committee-Arrest of "Colonel" Lynch-Finance Bill De-

bates and Divisions in Committee, on Report, and on Third Reading in

Commons: Lord Goschen's Speech in Lords-The Education Bill: Non-

conformist Deputation to Mr. Balfour; Committee Resumed; Enlarged

Grants to Elementary Schools; Amendments Accepted on Secondary Clauses

-Discussion on Imperial Defence - Preparations for the Coronation-The

King's Illness, Convalescence and Recovery; Public Feeling thereon-

Coronation Honours-Licensing and Midwives Bills Carried through Parlia-

ment The Cape Constitution Question-Lord Kitchener's Return-Lord

Salisbury's Retirement-Mr. Balfour Prime Minister-Reconstruction of

Ministry-Education Bill Committee Resumed: Option Clause Struck out;

Prolonged Conflict on Voluntary Schools Management Clause; Clause

Carried-Disorders at Sandhurst-Foreign Affairs in Both Houses-Irish

Debate in Commons-Mr. Chamberlain on the South African Settlement-

Mr. Balfour on Imperial Defence

PREFATORY NOTE.

THE Editor of the ANNUAL REGISTER thinks it necessary to state that in no case does he claim to offer original reports of speeches in Parliament or elsewhere. For the former he cordially acknowledges his great indebtedness to the summary and full reports, used by special permission of The Times, which have appeared in that journal, and he has also pleasure in expressing his sense of obligation to the Editors of "Ross's Parliamentary Record," The Spectator, and The Guardian, for the valuable assistance which, by their consent, he has derived from their summaries and reports, towards presenting a compact view of the course of Parliamentary proceedings. To the Editors of the two last-named papers he further desires to tender his best thanks for their permission to make use of the summaries of speeches delivered outside Parliament appearing in their columns.

T. BAINES.

[blocks in formation]

Prospects of Liberal Reunion-Sir E. Grey at Newcastle and Sir H. Campbell-Bannerman in London-Count von Bülow's Speech-Mr. Chamberlain's Reply to It Warmly and Generally Approved-Emphatic Expressions of Colonial Feeling-Opening of the Session-The King's Speech-The Address in the Lords -Debate on the Address in the Commons: Discussions as to Peace Negotiations, Martial Law, The Housing Question, Wales, Mr. Cawley's South African Amendment, Persia, Ireland-Lords' Debate on Lord Wemyss's Resolution on the War-Commons' Debate on Address Continued: Discussions on Telephone Agreement, Food Supplies in Time of War, Malta, and Electoral Anomalies in the United Kingdom-Address Agreed to-Conference on Old Age Pensions; Resolutions Condemned by Mr. Chamberlain-Confirmation of Canon Gore's Election to the See of Worcester-Vicar-General's Refusal to Hear Objectors-His Decision Ultimately Sustained by the High Court.

DURING the first half of January, 1902, which was all that was allowed to elapse before the re-assembling of Parliament, public attention was chiefly engaged on the one hand by the chances of Liberal reunion opened up by the reception given to Lord Rosebery's Chesterfield speech, and on the other hand by the interchange of what Mr. Asquith, with not very felicitous irony, called "amenities" between leading Ministers of Germany and of England. On New Year's Day there was issued, in pamphlet form, a revised edition of the Chesterfield speech, with a prefatory note, in which the author observed that its policy appeared to have received "a large meed of general approval," but appealed for the "spade-work" needed to secure that the "wave of popular adhesion" should not be "lost in space." Edward Grey made a ready response to this appeal in a speech. at Newcastle-on-Tyne (Jan. 7). From the reception which the Chesterfield speech had met with in the country at large, he drew the inference that public opinion was awakening, and

A

Sir

that the same consciousness of national crisis and national need which had induced Lord Rosebery to re-enter public life was working in men's minds towards a concentration of attention upon stopping abuses, strengthening weak places, and raising the whole standard of national efficiency. It was to this subject that, the Government's stock of ideas being exhausted, the Liberal party must devote its attention. Among Liberals Lord Rosebery's speech had produced a great desire for unity, and in Sir E. Grey's opinion unity could only be obtained on the lines of that speech, because "there are some of us who adhere to those lines with such intensity and such conviction that, though we may be prepared to make some sacrifices of individual opinion if necessary in adhering to these lines, we are not prepared to abandon them under any conditions."

As to dropping the Irish question, which course somebody had suggested to Lord Rosebery, "you may as well," said Sir E. Grey, "talk about dropping the atmosphere. There are many parts of the Irish question. There is Home Rule, there is the Crimes Act, there is the land question. You may drop one or all of these things, but you do not drop the Irish question."

As to the war, Sir E. Grey proceeded, we must stand together and indignantly repudiate charges of savagery or injustice that are unjustly brought against the British Army or against any British Government. As regarded the settlement after the war, he intimated that he would recall all the proclamations except that incorporating the Boer dominions in the Empire, and he advocated the extension of lavish aid to the Boers after peace was restored. But he held (1) that in Cape Colony it would be necessary to give compensation to the man who had fought for us, and temporarily disfranchise the man who had fought against us; (2) that, while letting it be understood that any peace overtures from the Boers would be received, we could make no overtures to them, and that before any negotiations took place the talk of independence must drop.

Very different in tone was a speech delivered by Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman at St. James's Hall (Jan. 13) at the inaugural meeting of the London Liberal Federation, a body recently formed for the purpose of improving and strengthening the organisation of the Liberal party in the metropolis. This gathering was made the occasion of frequent manifestations of bitter hostility to Lord Rosebery, which had apparently been pre-arranged, leaflets being circulated among the audience warning them against a conspiracy" to supplant Sir H. Campbell-Bannerman, "the only Liberal leader," by Lord Rosebery, Mr. Asquith and Sir H. Fowler, to each of whom some depreciatory reference was made. It was in an atmosphere of this kind that Sir H. Campbell-Bannerman delivered a speech in which he sought to make the most of the points of agreement between his own views and those set forth in Lord Rosebery's

66

« PrethodnaNastavi »