The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1905-07-15
LORD ROBERTS ALARMED.
Sensational Speech Declaring Army
Totally Unfit For War.

London, July 10.-Field Marshal Lord
Roberts created a sensation in the
house of lords this evening when in a
lengthy and well-considered speech he
deliberately expressed his opinion as a
practical soldier that the military force
of Great Britain was inadequate i'm
perfectly trained and totally unfit to
uphold Great Britain as a firSt-class
power. Lord Roberts did not blame
the government, which. he said. was
actuated by a national feeling, but he
scathingly attacked the people of Eng
land, who. he said, showed no national
feeling toward the military until dam
ger arose.
Then, said Lord Roberts, the soldier
was the pet of the people, but this was
only an evanescent enthusiasm which
did not entail self-sacrifice and passed
away as soon as the danger disap-
peared
The speech was delivered in connec-
ton with a motion introduced by the
Earl Of WemysS and March (conserva-
tive) traversing Premier Balfour's
statement regarding the impossibility
of the invasion of Great Britain and
urging the necessity of keeping up suf-
ficient land forces to repel any possible
invasion.
Lord Roberts said the lessons of the
South African war had been forgotten.
He had no hesitation in saying that the
armed forces of Great Britain as body
were now as absolutely untitled and
unprepared for war as they were when
the South African trouble broke out
He declared emphaticaily that the
choice lay between CONSUMPTION or some
practically system of universal training,
and that only by such means would it
be possible for Great Britain TO possess
armed forces organized and trained to
meet the demands of the empire in the
event of war
Lord Roberts, continuing, asserted
that any discussion of Great Britain's
military position within the limits of
the motion proposed by the Earl of
Wemyss and March would be entirely
unavailing. The country had to deal
with a question of infinitely greater
Importance, the question of the life or
death of the empire, the issue of which
depended upon Great Britain being
ready to defend her eastern possessions
and at the same time take part in any
affair nearer home, either of which ne
cessitated the placing in the field of an
army as large and efficient as that of
any of the European countries, all of
which might be regarded as nations in
arms.
garded its army as part of the nation.
while England considered her army to
be something quite outside the nation
al life, and no thought was bestowed
upon it by the civil population except
as part of a political and partisan plat
form.
He appealed to the country to awake
to its danger and to take hold of the
army as a great national issue on
which the existence of Great Britain
depended. He said the whole empire
must rise to the occasion and that ev-
cry one must personally bear share
in the defense or enable those to whom
responsibility was delegated to become
in all respects efficient.
The discussion of the motion contin-
ued for some time, the speakers COM
plimenting Lord Roberts for the stand
he had taken.
Lord Lansdowne, the foreign minis
ter. defended Premier Balfour He said
that Mr.. Balfour had never maintained
that the defense of the country depend
ed solely Oh the navy The committee
on defense had taken every possible
phase into consideration and would, he
hoped, be able to work out the problem
to the satisfaction OF every one.
The government decided not to oppose
the motion of the Earl of Wemyss and
March, which was passed without a di-
vision.