In addressing a meeting of his constituents at Arbroath on
Thursday night, Mr. Baxter entered upon a vigorous and sweeping criticism of the conduct of the present Government during the last five years. He denounced, "as an imposture on the British public," the policy of Imperialism, "implying that we have troops ready for everything in any part of the world, who can exercise a controlling influence on the voice of Europe." Such a policy is only practicable under the system of Conscription. The expenditure of the preeent.Government Mr. Baxter showed to be some £8,000,000 a yearmore than that of Mr. Gladstone's Ministry, according to their own Budget figures ; but to this there must be added the large increase of the Unfunded Debt. The general financial outlook is gloomy, and may be found to be so bad "as to justify the nation in calling to the rescue the greatest financier of the ago." Mr. Baxter gave some telling quotations from former speeches of Lord Beaconsfield's against Lord Palmerston's " spirited " policy, and "perpetual meddling in every part of the world," and condemned Lord Salisbury, "the rash and wrong-headed man who at present directs our foreign affairs," for his manner of dealing with the .Afghan diffi- culty. He saw some good in the Treaty of Berlin, be- cause it had done so much towards clearing Europe of Turkish oppression, and had shown that Mr. Gladstone was only understating the case when be said that all Turkish officials must be sent "bag and baggage" out of Bulgaria. He drew a terrible picture of the present state of the Turkish empire, based, no doubt, partly on personal observations in the East ; and ended by deprecating fear and jealousy of Russia, "an over-grown and top-heavy, despotism," and m.ging the cause of industrial progress and,improvement,, both political and moral, as being the true business of the British people. Mr. Baxter has just views on foreign .politics so far as ideals are concerned, but is far too absolute in favour of non- intervention.
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