New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-07-04
Copyright 1913.

.ur IN political legerdemain. He has
"a. the House and the country, and |
.,ose other countries. waiting for
- weeks; waiting to know why he
sHstroveS his own Ministry and Gre
49, new one In his most impressive
S~rer. with his most persuasive rhet-
be- psinc to the Sull his unequalled
.-sr Of exposition. he set forth his
I,,s for an act which, a week be-
70 Ne announced IL, he had assured
~ House was met IN contemplation"
vTer,inr all his authority to subdue
- House 20 his will, he established
49, mood Of docility he desired.
Then he declared that the purpose Of
.Ae Revolution he had engineered was
y, demonstrate 20 the world that Eng
land was in earnest about the war.
Mr.. Asquith's Rhetorical Triumph.
c. long as he spoke. he was convinc-
- You saw on the faces of friends
80 foes-for foes this great Minister
s.;n hss-the light Of contentment,
he ioy OF satisfied desire. While those
c-ors tones still echoed through the
Chamber. they enchanted his hearers.
~ saw even Radicals who were on
che cIEs OF ANNNAAANaA az tAAN ~ t1"ts'A+++t =
.ssert,ug with delight 20 sentence af-
- sentence Of their once idolized
iesser. You saw the men who had
tourbt him for seven years following
III, whittier he would lead: following
ss sheen follow their shepherd to the
ia. lie has had no greater triumph.
The Taste in the Mouth.
Esd Il lasted, you might have SAID
49, hattie was won. But il did not
i.s. Already, as the final phrases of
stately peroratiOn died into silence,
.ts reaction had begun. The skeptical
MOOD natural 10 the House re-awoke.
Tis followers turned TO each other and
@What has he told u.s."
And they found il g question no man
could answer. Opposite him sat q
dozen men who three weeks ago had
bssn his colleagues; men whom he had
asked. without word Of explanation,
for their designations, which they had
iovsly given him without inquiry and
without complaint. He had just paid
G lofty tribute to their generosity; but
he left them uniformed and Devil
Sered as before. The Irish comment was
Characteristic:
1--WE did we'll 70 keep out Of It,"
The Unionist comment was not less
Characteristic:
"Wbv aid we come into it?"
And one member who found the Eng
ush language inadequate 10 express MS
puzzled incredulity summed up the
rereral sentiment of the House in an
Allied tongue:
aPlus Ga change, plus c'est Ia meme
chose
Pe-haps il will clear our minds
Ittle-for they need clearing-if l put
Two Of his statements together. For
the sake Of clearness / garble the first,
without altering its sense in the least
particular.
First:
"What was needed was such q broad
enirr Of the Government as would de.
monstrate beyond the possibility OF
doubt. not only 70 our people at nome
and 20 our fellow subjects across the
seas. but TO the whole world aIiles'
enemies, neutrals-that after nearly
wear Of war the British people were
more resolute than ever 10 unite every
persoral and rolitical as well as every
moral and material force 20 the prose-
cution of their cause
Il repel as the most wicked Of cal
umnies and the most unfounded the
suggestions that the people Of tins
country have shown or are showing
themselves lethargic."
Conjectures.
But Il the people were not letharglc'
Il thew were already united, efficient
and prosecuting the war with all tnelr
moral and material force, why was II
necessary 70 demonstrate this atresh
Or. as one friendly critic OF the
Prime Minister put II:
"Did he mean it was necessary 70
demonstrate that Ministers had not
been lethargic and dilatory ~
The guesses hazarded a week ago
The disturbances in the Admiralty, the
disclosures in The Times are even
now more enlightening than the Prime
Minister'S present account These
euesses had a certain authority behind
them. As an elucidation of the Min
isterial mystery, they were far from
complete. There has since been an
other guess-that Mr.. Asquith preferred
suicide 20 the threatened Parliamentary
INQUIRY into the shortcomings Of his
Ministry. But that also is mystery.
A Policy Wanted.
But there are questions more press
ing than these. What the country
longs for is a distinct declaration OF
policy concerning national service and
matte -hereunto relating; including
both men and war Industries. il rs not
10 be found in this speech. Instead or
It we have another example OF Mr.
Asquith's dialectical cleverness;
I'VE have for the moment one PLAIN
and paramount duty to perform, 70
bring 20 the service Of the State the
willing and organized help Of every
class IN the community"
VIII not say that is q contradiction
in terms But can you conceive OF
whole people organized for state ser
vice without the authority or inc
State? Can you explain how authority
Is 70 be exercised without the use OF
the power Of the State? Can you
imagine an army, whether in peace OF
war, without discipline? And what is
discipline but the use, or the power 10
use, force when necessary! ana is ~
easier 20 organize, is II not lnnhltely
more difficult 10 organize, mllHons o.
wOrkirgmcu for war industries than 10
organize armies for the field! II tne
wOrElCmeu were already dong What
was wanted and all they could, why
was the Ministry Of Munitions created
with Nr LLOYD George as Minister
He has already done wonders IN break
ing up that lcthargy the existence OF
which the Prime Minister counts II
wicked caiumny 20 assert.
II, since Mr.. Asquith now again de-
clares what he declared at Newcastle
sornn +,t-o rrortbe aOo the OpcratlOnS OF