Lord Salisbury attended the annual demonstration of the Primrose League
on Wednesday, and delivered an interesting speech. After congratulating the Primrose League on their achievements in the last seventeen years, Lord Salisbury turned to the war. When all allowance had been made for the sorrowful side of the picture—the losses, privation, and misery involved—they could yet recognise as a set-off that "the power, the prestige, the influence, aye, and the magic effect of our great Empire was more potent, more efficieat, more admirable than it was when that period began." He gladly admitted that many of their opponents had kept the war outside the bounds of party conflict, but contended that others had not accorded them a judicial treatment, and vigorously repudiated Mr. Morley's insinuation that the Cabinet in 1899 would, if gifted with prophecy, have abandoned their policy. As to the settlement, •one thing was plain. There could be no sliding back into a position which could allow the enemy to renew the struggle. Lord Salisbury contrasted the progressive zeal and affection of the Colonies with "the sudden hatred of our rivals?' Both were considera- tions which all statesmen must take into account. But he strongly deprecated all premature efforts to hurry on Imperial Federation. We could not safely interfere by legis- lative action with the natural development of our relations with our daughter-countries; such action might only produce a reaction in favour of the old state of things. It should be noted that while reticent on the progress of the negotiations, Lord Salisbury expressed an earnest hope that the Boers "will join with us in setting up and entering into a political structure which shall enable them to enjoy to the full all the order and all the strength which is conferred upon our brother-nations by our Colonial system."
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