That is a.great political truth exceedingly well put, and we
congratulate Sir William Harcourt on its enunciation. It must be remembered, however, that it is exactly the policy which Lord Salisbury has most consistently and most success- fully pursued. There is no stronger advocate of concentrating our efforts on making the best possible use of our present possessions as opposed to mere reckless expansion than the present Prime Minister. People are asserting that Sir William Harcourt's expressions of sympathy with sane Im- perialism are not sincere, but merely made so as not to lose touch with the bulk of his party, but this is not a fair or true accusation. Sir William Harcourt is at heart a typical Old Whig, and though the Whigs were usually against any increase of our responsibilities, they always believed in holding on to what we had got. They never challenged our right to govern the races of inferior civilisation.
Previous page
