OCR Text |
Show THE. QUEEN'S SPEECH. The Queen's speech was read at a Ministerial dinner yesterday. The reference refer-ence to Ireland was to the effect that coerceive measures are still necessary to preserve law and order in that country. Ireland has had coerceive measures for a century past and things are as bad: there now as ever. The Irish are as distinct from the English as the English are from the French, and the Celtic race is entirely different from the Saxon. To race differences, as much as to anything else, J may be traced the difficulties which England has experienced in Ireland; Ire-land; and these difficulties will continue lihtiftlue recognition is given Irish ideas. The speech contemplates the establishment establish-ment of local government in England, and similar measures to be extended to Scotland and Ireland. If such government govern-ment were extended to Ireland gracefully, grace-fully, without a dose of coercion, it would do much to conciliate her, but when given to her accompanied by a bitter pill, it will fail of its. intended effect. -. - The speech refers to the Egyptian Commission Com-mission in a very hopeful way. What ; hope England can find in Egypt is a very difficult matter for a , looker-on to see. Perhaps disastrous Soudanese expeditions may be a source of hope to those who undertake un-dertake them. In itself, no more disastrous disas-trous expedition was ever undertaken than the Soudan expedition of England. The reference to Burmah is well calculated calcu-lated to quiet the aualms of conscience of any Englishman who may have thought that transaction of doubtful morality. Nothing could be more reassuring than the way in which the speech' declares that the deposition of Theebaw is necessary. If a scheme of annexation is to be successfully suc-cessfully carried out, it is always ' necessary neces-sary to depose those who stand in the way. A Queen's speech is no " indication whatever as to what the course of the Ministry will be, and so the public will be compelled to wait the introduction of measures into Parliament to know what the Conservatives are going to do. |