Mr. Balfour made his first public speech as Premier last
Satur- day at Fulham. After a graceful reference to Lord Salisbury as
the most illustrious representative of British public life," and an expression of his hope that Continental critics, now that they wrote "in cool blood," would recognise the excel- lence of British conduct in South Africa, the Premier pro- nounced a warm eulogy on Mr. Chamberlain. He called him " the great statesman who rules over the Colonial Office," and attributed to him first of all the change which has come over our relations with the Colonies, and has made them from "a paper glory" as patriotic and as self-sacrificing in a time of national emergency as the audience he was address-
ing. He then diverged to home politics, which, he said, were arranged in order that we might quarrel. He had no objection to the quarrelling, but it was sometimes difficult for thcse outside to perceive what was patent enough to Members within the House. For instance, they did not see that "certain gentlemen were anxious to deprive London of water lest the country should obtain education," that is, in fact, were resist- ing the Water Bill only to delay the Education Bill. The epigram seems to have greatly irritated the Liberals, and their advocates are anxiously affirming that the resistance to the Water Bill is due to its own demerits and not to any plan of veiled obstruction. Nevertheless, it is certain that the Opposition wish to delay the Education Bill because they think it possible, if there is time, to get up an agitation in the country.
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