The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1914-04-01
HAS FORCE TO Use
BRITISH PREMIER REPUDIATES
PLEDGE TO ARMY OFFICERS.
CHIEF OF STAFF ERRED

UnaLI UT 0IHll LAALU
His Resignation, is Expected as Re-
suit of Mistake Which He Commit
ted in Giving Assurance to Officers
That They Would Not be Used to
Suppress Ulster.
The English government Wednes-
day published its promised statement
Of it's dealings with the revolving Of
ficers Of the Third cavalry brigade
and the House of Commons held an
other heated and disorderly session.
Between the documents presented
and the various statements drawn
from cabinet ministers, vital facts OF
the affair were made clear. They re-
veal comedy, or tragedy, Of errors
perpetrated by Col. Seely, secretary
for war, and Sir Arthur Paget, COM
manding the troops in Ireland.
Col. Seely took all the blame on
himself. He frankly declared he had
made great mistake. His written
assurances to Gen. Hubert Cough
that to use all the forces of the crown
in Ireland or elsewhere to maintain
order and the support the civil pow
ers in the ordinary exercise Of their
duty but has no intention whatever
to taking advantage of this right to
crush political opposition to the pol
icy or the principles if the home rule
bill" was given without the knowl-
edge of the cabinet and contrary to
its policy.
The war secretary rendered his
resignation to Mr.. Asquith but the
premier refused to accept it. The
governments has withdrawn Col.
Seely's guarantees. Thus the situa-
ton with respect to Gen. Cough and
his SO comrades who sent in their
papers is still in state Of suspence.
The most important revelations Of
the day were that the government
did plan an important military and
naval demonstration on Ulster. Win
ston Spencer Churchill, first lord OF
the admiralty, confirmed reports that
he had ordered the third. battleship
squadron and torpedo fotilla to
Irish waters but explained that when
the military arrangements had not
been carried out he countermanded
the orders by wireless-an explana-
ton which the Unionists received
with jeers.
The blunder Gen. Paget made ap-
pears to have been in giving a practi-
cal ultimatum to officers Of the cav
airy brigade, to say whether they
would take active service in Ulster.
The cabinet Monday framed a gen.
eral statement Of the officers posi-
tion and duty under the law, and Col.
Seely freely admitted that his error
was in yielding to Gen. Coughs de-
mand for a written assurance that
the army would not be used to sup
press the covenanters.
Premier Asquith's statements that
the officers should return to duty un-
conditionally, it is declared, were
made in good faith. The prime min
lister made plain to the House OF
Commons the governments position
regarding the army, declaring he
would not assent to the claim OF any
body of men in the service OF the
crown to demand assurances Of what
they would be required to do in cir
cumstances which had not arisen.
Sir Edward Grey spoke even more
strongly. He said: "The govern
ment is prepared to use force to what
ever extent is required to make the
will of the country prevail. That
is contingency which can not arise
for long time, and we will labor to
avoid it,"
Much Of the debate in the House
of Commons consisted OF fiery denun-
Citations Of the military aristocracy.
Government members were placated
by revelations, but there remains
among Radicals and Laborites a
strong and outspoken dissatisfaction
with the whole affair. Many think
the matter would have been allowed
to rest except for the almost unani-
nous attacks by the Liberal press
over what they speak Of as Gen.
Coughs victory.
All talk of a compromise on the
home rule bill for the time Is sus-
pended. Conservatives hold that re-
cent events have shown that no COM
promise is possible, except on the un-
conditional exclusion of Ulster. The
Liberals say that would not be COM
promise, but surrender. Col. Seely's
transfer to another cabinet post Is
predicted and the announcement and
acceptance Of the designations OF
Gen. Paget and Gen. Cough would be
no surprise.