Arizona republican., 1915-12-24
Closing Session of House
Of Commons Is Marked
BY Important Addresses
In Which Disscnsion In
Body Is Denied
EVERYONE UNITED
IN IT'S POLICY
Charge Is Ridiculous That
Some One In Foreign Of
flee Is In Pay Of Germany
Is Lord Robert Cccil's
Statement
tRepubDican A. p. Leased wirel


LONDON. Dec 23-Thc most i'm
portant speeches. At the closing session
Of the house Of commons before the
house adjourned tonight for the
Christmas recess were made by Lord
Robert Cecil under secretary for for
eicn affairs: Walter Runciman, presi-
dent of the board Of trade, and y. !.
3alfour first lord of the admiralty
Lord Robert Cecirs speech was in
the nature of a general defense of the
foreign office. He denied rumors of
dissensiOn in the cabinet or dissensions
among the allies and of pro- German
Influence in the foreign office. lie
announced that the foreign office
would shortly issue a white paper stat
ing the principles on which the British
blockade of Germany is based
Until the resignation Of one or
more members Of the cabinet" he said
everyone is bound to accept the view
that it is united on the main lines Of
its policy As to the unity Of the al
lies, they have carried on the war in
a manner which, if one considers his
tory, is a really uneXampled perform
ance of unity.
Suggestions have been made re-
Gently in various forms that some one
in the foreign office is in the pay Of
Germany, or at least IS prO-German
This is Grotesque and serious charge
When things are not soinE right for
the moment, such people thinl; the
proper course is to turn on the men
VINO are trying to serve their country
and shout Traitor, Traitor!
This is a disgraceful state Of
things 1t is utterly destructive OF the
morale of the country ana it is the
duty of every patriotic man to stamp
on these people
u assure the house that everything
that could be legitimateIy done to pre-
vent goods going into Germany has
been done One Of the members of
the house Of commons has said that
the only way effectively to blockade
Germany is to go To war with the
neutral countries sustaining Germany.
1t is to say more frankly that this
is not the policy of the government
The great difficulty in a blockade is
TO discriminate between goods with
an enemy destination and those for
consumption in neutral countries
As to our Balkan policy the aim
throughout has been tN produce in
those unhappy countries unity instead
of discOrd. The suggestion that the
foreign office rejected an alliance with
or the assistance Of Greece is abso-
lutely without formation"
Mr. Runciman spoke Of the steps
the board Of trade was taking to pre-
pare for commercial conditions after
the war, beginning with the declara
fion: so far as commerce IS con
cerned, Germany is a beaten nation
ana it is for as to see that it does
not fecoveT.7
Mr.. Balfour, replying to various
speakers who had complained Of the
shortage OF ships for mercantile pur-
poses. said that the whole possibility
Of carrying on the war rested on the
British navy and its mercantile fleet.
He was willing to confess that there
probably had been some waste Of
tonnage, but the first business Of the
admiralty was not to save tonnage,
hut to win battles.
eve cannot expect to carry on a
war with the same economy that "
manage the port of Liverpool said
the first lord. The main thing has
been to see that every warship was
ready to fight wherever required and
that every soldier was supplied with
ali necessary to make him the best
fighting unit"
He urged that the wisest remedy
for the shortage of tonnage was ia
20 on with the building of merchant