Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, speaking at a meeting of the Home
Counties Liberal Federation on Tuesday, dealt both with the war in South Africa and with the Liberal party. He protested against " the foul calumny " that he had maligned the officers and soldiers of our Army. Of course Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman has not maligned them, and it is unfair to accuse him of doing so, but he has undoubtedly allowed men of whom he is the leader to do so in his presence without rebuke. When a Member of Parliament talked of General " Brute " Hamilton in his presence we are not aware that he was reproved or denounced for his malicious insolence by Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman. No doubt to have done that would have required some courage, but inch courage would have paid the Liberal leader, even if it had lost him a follower. In dealing with the settlement after the war, he was by no means illuminative. He seems to think that the Dutch population in South Africa must always out- number the British, for he considers the idea of swamping by State-aided emigration a preposterous idea. But why does he assume that the vast influx of ordinary settlers which we know will follow the opening and working of the goldfields under a reasonable Government will not be British P—or does Sir Henry Campbell - Bannerman hold that people who live in a town do not count P As to the leadership, Sir Henry Campbell - Bannerman declared that it had always been difficult, but that " it is now seemingly impossible to preserve unity owing to the persistent schemes and efforts of a few men who, under the influence, I imagine, of some personal jealousy or antipathy of their own, are, constantly and actively engaged in magnifying and embittering such differences in political opinion as exist. All I will say to-night is that it is time to be done with these practices."
Previous page
