Between the speeches of Mr. Cox and Mr. Churchill, Mr.
Balfour delivered what was considered by many persona to be
the best speech he has made for a long time. Some of his arguments, of course, were the same as Mr. Churchill used afterWards ; but we may select the following points. It should be remembered, he said, that although the Colonies derived strength from their connexion with us, they were also exposed by that same connexion to all the hazards of world-politics. Though many large issues of our politics did not concern them at all, yet as members of the British Empire they might be made to suffer on our account. Although it was an unthinkable plan that the Colonies should be 'called on to vote Estimates which somebody else controlled, it was possible that there might be a kind of treaty arrangement under which the Colonies would make over men and ships to our use in time of war. The ideal of a closer political union should not be dis- carded, but such a union was not yet in sight. The loose knitting of the Empire had advantages and disadvantages, but on the whole a reliance on the voluntary assistance of the Colonies was better than a commercial bargain. With this view–we are in the heartiest agreement. The attempt to force the Colonies into making larger contributions to the Navy is, in our opinion, most unwise, and we greatly regret that Mr. Cox, whose loyalty to the Empire is undoubted, should have even seemed to lend himself to any such project.
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