Mr. Morley's speech was strong, but less highly coloured than
his address in the Forest of Dean. He asked the Govern- ment whether they held that there was no kind of military action for which the plea of political necessity was not a good defence, and pursuing the subject, declared that Slatin Pasha had stated in an interview that no political necessity existed. He then desired the Committee to remember that Slatin Pasha's authority was higher than Lord Cromer's,—a curious example of how a prepossession clouds the intellect. No one has a right to represent Lord Cromer's opinion as infallible, but the notion of preferring Slatin Pasha's opinion on a political matter is amazing. Slatin Pasha, of course, knows the Soudan much better than Lord Cromer, and could give a much better opinion on its climate or fertility ; but the giving of sound political opinions depends on the faculty of judgment and " the comprehensive head," not merely on local knowledge. A man may know Ireland very thoroughly, and yet be able to give but a poor opinion on the Irish question. The best part of Mr. Morley's speech was the peroration, in which he warned the House and the country against the dangers of lowering the standard of right feeling and right doing in the Empire. "We must teach those whom we entrust with power far away from our control and observa- tion that we insist that that power shall be used in conformity with our own principles of humanity." These are words which we can most heartily endorse, and we are only sorry, as we have said elsewhere, that Mr. Morley did not find a better text for his sermon.
Previous page
