New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-05-03


Then he says:
There is not the smallest justifca-
ton of any kind, sort or description
for single one of these indictments Of
+ the Army. Where they are not in
spired by reckless desire 10 secure a
/ party score, or by a malicious disregard
of truth, they have their origin in COM
/ plete ignorance of the Army,--its SEN
/ timents, feelings, and conditions OF
life"
After sixty years Of service Lord
Roberts may be supposed to know
what he is. talking about. The evil
dence is, in fact, all one way. The
Army loathes politics, does not under
stand politics, and indeed has, as Lord
Roberts says, a kind Of pity for the
men who are obliged to play politics.
| have always known, and still know
a certain number of officers. If they
have any politics they do not talk poll
tics. They care for their own profess
sion. To conceive Of them as engaged
/ in a political enterprise is impossible.
| Certain regiments. ii is true, have the
reputation of being Tory regiments
| The word means little in such a con-
nection and these regiments are the eX-
ception. There are few of them, and
! their Toryism is neither military nor
militant
The critics Of the Army officers are Of
! two sorts; the politicians who cannot
use them and the Labor members of
the House who resent the legitimate
employment of the Army when labor
troubles occur. OF the first class |
have already said enough. The Labor
men tell you that the Army is used
against strikers. 1t has never been
used against strikers. 1t has been used
in aid Of the civil power against rioters
with whom the police could not deal
unaided. But if it has been used
against strikers. by whom has it been
used? By this Liberal Government.
now eight years in power. But Mr..
Asquith and his colleagues are in fact
open to no such reproach.
The cry has gone forth that the Army
must be "democratized." 1t is word
to which those who use it seem to at
tach no precise meaning. 1t has, how
ever, a historical significance. The
legions of Rome were democratized till
they became first the instruments Of
tyranny and then the auctioneers of
Empire. Cromwelps armies were de-
mocratized, but their proceedings were
not to the taste of Parliament The
armies of Revolutionary France were
democratized, and within ten years the
Revolution and the Republic were
under the heel of a soldier. These are
not perhaps encouraging presidents.
There is a way of democratizing the
Army, and it is called by those who
dislike ii universal CONSUMPTION; after
the German model. Lord Roberts and
others plead for it as national service.
1t is probably the only sure way of es-
cape for England from the difficulties
and perils of the near future. But it is
not popular. The workingmen hate it
and the workingmen are a majority.
In any case it is not what the demo-
gogues of the moment mean. What
they really mean is that the aristo-
cratic element is to be rooted out and
what they call Tory influences are to
give way to Democratic influences; or,
if we translate Democratic into terms
Of politics, to Liberal and Radical in
fuences. With Mr.. Jim Larkin in COM
mand in Dublin, and Mr. Ben Tillett in
command of London, the full beauty of
/ characterization would presently be
seen. The Liberals do not intend it,
they do not know it, but the extremists
who preach this new gospel are on the
straight road to anarchy.
AS it is. the Army is inadequate for
the work it has to do. The Territorials
are not an army They are the ma
terial out of which a first rate army
might be formed by compulsory SER
vice. They are 10000 short of their
fortnight in a year. Their creator,
Lord Haldane, considers that within
six months after an outbreak of war
they might be fit to take the field.
What arrangements he has made TO
induce an invading force TO give notice
Of ID attack and to defer it for six
months, he has never explained.
1t is computed that force Of 10000
Regulars could be sent to the Con-
tinent as the left wing of a French
line of battle 10 defend the French
frontier and Belgium against Germany.
When it had been sent, the safety Of
England would depend on the Navy,
and the best naval opinion IS that in
these days of aeroplanes and sub
marines and destroyers the Navy can
not guarantee these island shores from
invasion. In Egypt there are four
white battalions TO protect line 1000
miles long. Take Kitchener away and
the Nile would run blood. There are
/ 10000 English troops In India to guard
! 100000 square miles ana 3OO,0OO,OOO
of people. England asks her Army TO
perform miracles. and the miracles are
duly performed. But miracles are
against Nature. and even in the New
Testament they are not permanent
forces. and if the Army is TO become
the plaything of politicians the miracles
will cease altogether. c. w. 5.