New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-02-07
London. January Is.

Lon Don. January 10.
,--5 Hsldsnes speech In the House
n LORD, l'st Friday was the most i'm
-. ef the war, or since the speech
;, q. IL. Prime Minister announcing
~,, Until he spoke II was doubt
-, whether this Government would In
-, circumstances resort to eon'erip-
~. II Is doubtful no longer, and the
.dthe war is therefore no longer
,.s.,nl said something last week
,.-, r,eruitins and about Lord Kitch-
-, methods. That was before Lord
u.I5.ns had spoken, but even so It
..n.d to ne that the moment was near
-, the Government would have TO
-. decision. Lord Kitchener's lat
:. ,,.eeh had ls't 1t doubtful whether
800 or WAS not getting the men he
,t.d II - sim left doubtful Lord
,,,. speaking for the Government
.,.tor the War ofHes. in Lord Kitch-
-. absence, eategoricslly refused 70
,,v how many recruits week were
Gaming IN. The inference WIS that the
amber was inadequate.
Nav. the government Is not strongly
.-.,,rted IN the House Of Lords for
a.. purposes Of ordinary business
80, Crew. leads. but 70 say that Lord
o,.p. leads Is 70 use the word IN It's
,..h,,esl Parliamentary sense and not
=, ,p a Iu ordinary meaning You
-o. conceive Of Lord Crewe ss real
- ,..d,ns Re IS the most Auisele Of
49,, WITH good abilities and good sense
-. leader he Is not. A leader Is q
VA, whom men will follow. He must
xu,, who at a critical moment
~ uls responsibilities. Lord Cre"e
., -cr is his ever an inspirit-
ing voice.
:. v,, therefore natural that when
=. Ministry had 8 momsntous an
..r,,.m.nt 70 make they should turn
.,..rbither. They turned to Lord Hal
s,n. and they turned, in this case 70
-. I,b. man. For they not only had
q, announcement to make, but they had
% base Il upon proposition Of law
ard upon = proposition Of law which TO
,.,r,, n general is sufficiently start
-. After long hesitation. after say
l.. o4,., they would ne'er consent, they
,,v, q, last consented TO try eonscrip-
IN, y and when necessary ana 20 en-
H.. q. vitbout the authority Of Par
u,u.r, For the first time they have
lacked Il fairly in the face. Il was
,,l5 Art They needed and they sought
,,o highest authority. Lord Haldane's
,r.bor;.v ss Lord Chancellor IS the
t,rb.s+ N III. Kingdom: higher. that
,s than the authority OF any o'her
single officer Of the law. But II IS more
than that: He is by common consent
,l. greatest Of living constitutional
l.vver, In that capacity the profes-
,ion nuts him, I think, even above MS
,,.dscassor on the Woolssck, LORD
B,lsburv. As he had to deal with
sp,.tIop o. war, II is also something
70 the purpose that he had been seven
years War Minister.
Lord Haldane laid the foundation OF
Ns ,.stement in these weighty SEN
fences:
"Bv the common law Of this country
I. I, the duty Of every subject OF the
Realm 70 assist the Sovereign in repel-
u,v the invasion of It's shores and IN
d,t,pe. Of the Realm. That Is duty
which rests on no statute, but IS inner
st in our Constitution"
What that means Is that eonscrlp-
ton. should IT become inevitable, Is to
bs set up without the authority OF
Parliament. Presumably, it will be
r. an Order in Council. mo statute,
uvs Lord Haldane-no need OF any
statute. since TO serve IN defence OF the
Realm is q duty inherent In the Con-
..,tuton. The difference is enormous.
7, is not probable that an Act OF fsr-
lament could have been passed with
cut bitter Radical opposition. bitter de-
bate. and the display Of factious
spirit which might have spread TO me
country. A debate Of that kind would
hav. been full Of peril. How full may
b seen by the bathurst of the Leader
Of the Labor Party, Mr.. Henderson
2. rushed into print with a declara-
ton. the next morning, that conscrip-
ton would be descriptive. dangerous
snd-of all things-unpatriotic. MI
Henderson is the Leader-so called
whom Ministers have just made. for
services rendered or expected, Privy
Councillor. They have their reward.
Happily. e Labor Leader is commonly
50 called because his men will not fol-
low him
An Order in Council Is. II you like,
relic Of other and more arbitrary days.
Il has Star Chamber favor. But war
Is also 8 relic Of other days and con