The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-07-15
ARMY AND navy CUT
| SHOCKS GREAT BRITAIN
Cabinets Plan to Reduce Fighting
Forces Arouses Storm Of
Protest.
New York Herald Special Gable Service. Copy.
right 1906, by the New York Herald.

New York Herald Special Cable Service. Copy.
right, 1905, by the New York Herald.
London, July 14-Nothing that the
present or any other British govern
ment has ever done or proposed to do
has stricken the country with so much
surprise as the cabinets plan for the
reorganization of the army and the
reduction Of the navy and this right in
the face of the opinion of the highest
military and naval authorities in the
eminent to the strong opinion ex-
pressed by Earl Roberts in the house
OF lords on Tuesday, is generally re-
garded as simply amazing and even
the liberal organs are for the present
mute
Earl Roberts spoke most earnestly and
sadly about the undergraduates Of the
British army to meet such demands
war with any great power and vet.
despite his pleading for the constant
maintenance of an army Of at least
half million men ready for imme-
date dispatch to any port and tho
encouragement of the volunteer move
ments the government with its min
lister OF war, Mr.. Haldine, as its
mouthpiece-a man who never asso-
ciated with even a volunteer force
small army by eight battalions and
throw 10000 soldiers into the ranks of
the unemployed.
Earl Roberts said it was necessary
to have behind the army a large po-
tential reserve.
Pleads for Reserve.
"I strongly urge" he continued.
the recognition by the country of the
first duty Of citizenship, namely, mill
tary training, in order that every able
bodied man may be able to take his
part in the defense of the empire in
the event Of any great national emer-
ge1nseE;
to be completely forgotten. No thought
is given to the possibilities Of the fu-
ture9, and the one prevailing idea seems
to be to cut down military expenses
without reference to the increased re-
sponsibilities and the largely aug
mehted revenue. sometimes despair
of the country ever becoming alive to
the danger in the unpreparedness of
the present position until too late to
prevent some fatal catastrophe. We
must have well organized reserve, an
precipitation by means of which less
highly trained men could be rapidly
| turned out to replace the wastage OF
war;
Lord Miner Lord Dundonald, Lord
Lansdowne and other empire-makers
spoke boldly in favor Of strength
enlng of the army, and said that tho
present moment, when the world. Is in
a state Of indefnable unrest, Is the
last that should be taken for oven a
nominal reduction of the British fight
ing strength.
Storm CT Protests.
| Mr.. Haldine's excuse for cutting
| down the army is that the democracies
Of the world are making manifest their
desire that the crushing burden Of ar
mament should be ightened, such a
great and powerful country as Britain
When a few days ago it was decided
any advice from the admiralty, to
abandon the building of one Of the
great battleships of the Dreadnaught
type, SO as to present to the country
a reduced bill of naval expenditures,
there arose tremendous storm of in
Gdlgnatlon turnout the country, voiced
miralty, with Admiral Sir John Fisher
presiding, made strenuous protest,
intimating to Lord Twecdmouth. who
is first lord, that they would resign in
body If such action were persisted in.
:, The cabinet was hastily summoned,
it sat two hours and a half without
coming to any decision. The serious
ness of the danger to Britain, unless
the cabinet recognizes the force of
public opinion, Is explained BY the fact
that Britain has building only six bat
tleships, while France has eight and
Germany twelve on the building pro-
gram. Only two Of the British battle
ships, now on the building list ara
Dreadnaughts, and it is one Of these,
which the first lord said some time ago
with pride, was equal to anv thrss
| other battleships afoat, that the GOV.
eminent proposed to stop.