At Birmingham on Monday the Duke of Devonshire, who was
the guest of the Chamber of Commerce, made a most able speech on the position of the Government. The Government had not, he declared, lost the confidence of the country, which was satisfied with their administration of foreign and Colonial affairs. The Duke of Devonshire then ran over the Government's doings in the region of foreign policy. He noted with a satisfaction that was evidently sincere that "we alone amongst all the nations of the world bad viewed with real and active sympathy" [the word "active" is worth noting in so cautions and reserved a speaker as the Duke of Devonshire] the entrance of America into the field of international politics. The recent firm assertion of our rights had brought us into closer re- lations with such Powers as Germany and Italy, "and I will not even exclude Russia "; and even in the case of France, " the brief crisis which has been happily termi- nated " would lead to a better state of things. As to the charge of Jingoism, or exaggerated Imperialism, he did not believe that any symptoms of it were to be found in the conduct of the Cabinet. The perfectly admirable defence of Free-trade which came later in the speech we have dealt with elsewhere, and we will only say here that we most heartily endorse the Duke of Devonshire's defence of the Government. No fair-minded man will say that there has been Jingoism, or " exaggerated Imperialism," in their actions. It is in the party, especially as regards China, that Jingoism has been apparent. For refusing to yield to that Jingoism the Government deserve all possible credit.
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