The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-08-06 00:00:00

ENGLAND & THE CONTINENTAL
WAR.

The position of England in relation to the
disastrous war that is now being waged on the
Continent, is a matter of such vast moment that
the Ministerial speeches at the banquet given by
the Lord Mayor of London are of unusual sig-
nificance in the crisis at which we have arrived.
The banquet was a magnificent one, as a matter
of coarse, but the festive gathering was marred
by the pervading thought of war. It would be
straining a well-known incident in sacred his-
tory to compare it with Belshazzar's feast, and
to allude to the figurative handwriting on the
swell; and any allusion to a grim spectre at the
banquet would appear equally forced; but at the
same time the war undoubtedly had a gloomy
Greet on the scene, and tinged every speech
with melancholy. And yet these speeches on
the whole have been read with general satisfac-
tion. Party politics were cast on one, side in
view of the universal interest of the one great :
topic of the day, and we think we do not say
too much when we assert that the whole tone of
those ministerial utterances has been heartily
approved by men of almost all shades of politi-
cal opinion.
Never tlid Mr. Gladstone speak more elo-'
buently on the horrors and miseries of war, and
his remarks in relation to this war specially,
must find an echo in every heart. In the name
of wounded humanity, in the name of grieving
civilisation, in the mime of our religion, he re-
cords that nothing more deplorable or dismal
has occurred in our time than this awful war, in
which two highly-refined and civilised nations
"are pushing on their troops by hundreds of
thousands, and almost by millions for deadly
conflict, for causes which it is very difficult to
! appreciate." And at the close of his splendid
speech, he again lamented, in eloquent terms,
the calamities that are about to desolate one of
the fairest portions of Europe The scenes that
this war will present, whatever be its result, will,
he thinks, "in the judgment of history and the
judgment of posterity be regarded amongst the
most mournful and most miserable that ever
presented themselves to the view of mankind."
In ;such sentiments as these the whole nation
must concur ; but heartily as we may applaud
them, they are not the most important parts of
the Premiere speech. Those portions which
will have been read with the deepest interest are
those which refer to the two leading ideas which
form the one whey of Ministers during the pre-
sent critical time—" security and neutrality."
For the moment, we turn aside from the speech
of the Premier, and refer to that of the Secre-
tary for War, who speaks on our "security "
with even greater authority. " The arruy,navy,
and volunteers," says Mr. Cardwell, "in num-
uer and efficiency, one and all, may at the pre-
sent moment challenge a comparison with ens
former times." On the same subject, Mr.
Gladstone alluding to the condition of our army,
navy, and auxiliary forces, maintains that there
never was a time when a discussion on this sub-
ject could be met by is Government with a
greater security, or with a greater conviction
that, whatever may arise, this great nation will
be found equal to its duties. We do not think
ihat Ministers, in thus speaking, make an unfair
estimate of our position. No sooner was war
declared than there was an outcry in some quar-
ters in this country for a considerable increase
in our military and naval tomes. While it has
not been thought necessary to satisfy such de-
mands, immediate efforts have been directed to-
wards the efficiency of our land and sea forces,
leaving their increase to be determined by emer-
gency should it arise. Cur strength does not
consist only in the numerical force of our sol-
diers and sailors, but in the power of public
opinion and in the heartiness of our patriotism.
Should the occasion require, these will be
brought to bear upon any increase of military
and naval strength that may be required. As
an earnest of the determination of Government
to be fully prepared for any painful emergency,
Mr. Cardwell's action may be pointed to: he
has asked for 20,000 more soldiers, and his re-
quest was immediktely granted, and the enlist-
ment of the men is now rapidly progressing.
Meanwhile Ministers and people are determined
to maintain the policy of neutrality and non-in-
tervention. Mr. Gladstoue's remarks on this
head are specially worthy of serious attention.
He tells us that the maintenance of neutrality
is not easy; on the contrary, he says, it is anxi-
ous, and arduous to a degree perhaps only sec-
ond to the conducting or war itself. We must
all feel that there is sober and serious truth in
this, and we may well tremble at the dangers
ahead. There is no danger of Government
wilfully or carelessly violating our neutrality,
and there is no danger of the nation abandoning
the present national policy ; but there is cer-
tainly danger on the one hand from either Prus-
sia or France being driven to violate the neu-
trality of Belgium, and, on the other, from some
of our commercial firms violating neutrality bj
supplying contrabaud of war to either of the
ueiligerents. If we mistake not, the chief (lan.
ger lies in the last direction. Learned argu-
ments are just now being employed to determine
what is, mid what is nut, contraband of war,
from all of which arguments the only general
conclusion that the public appear able to arrive
at is that it is a lamentable pity that interna-
tional law should be so vague and uncertain.
Pruesia says coal is contraband; France that it
is net. Who shall decide Under such cir-
cumstances, to say nothing of other ditlicultiee,
weil may Mr. Gladstone say that the task of
maintaining neutrality is anxious and arduous.