The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-20
Special cable Despatch 10 Tnr suS

Hpetfut ' uOff DsSpuFCN 70 IHt sun
LONDON. Sept l9.-The Official Press
Bureau gave out tonight a reply sent by
Lloyd George to a constituent. in which
the Minister OF Munitions says:
You say and say rightly the Gov
ernment ought to give the nation a lead
in the question whether or not the moral
obligation of every abiebodied man to
defend his country should be converted
during the war into "A legal obligation.
The Government. can assure you. is
fully alive to the necessity of giving IA
definite lead. They are engaged in exam
lining the subject with a view to coming
to "A right decision. Undue delay might
be disastrous. but undue precipitation
might be equally disastrous. Let us
avoid both. The issue is one OF fact not
OF principle IL the figures demonstrate
that We can win with the voluntary sys-
tenn II would be folly to provoke "a con-
troversy in the middle of the world war
by attempts to substitute a totally diff
ferent method
"On the other hand, IL the figures dem
monstrate TO every unprejudiced person
that the voluntary system has exhausted
'its vitality and that nothing but legal
pressure can give the armies necessary
10 defend the honor OF Great Britain ana
to save Europe from the triumph of mill
tary despotism | have not yet heard
of a man who would resist compulsion
| in the circumstances
Men who say they would resist this
eXpedient even IL 1t is proved necessary
to save the country and secure the free
dom OF the world have not yet appeared
in the arena.
ITS all question of asCertainable
fact Why all this premature anger?
The determining facts have not yet been
published. When they are sifted and
published the advocates OF one view or
the other will find whole cylinders Of
fervor and ferocity have been wasted in
attacking positions which they will then
discover they ought to defend
Let the Government have fair
chance to decide. All this clatter and
racket outside the council chamber are
fatal to deliberation. Especially would
/ ] beg the public to pay no heed to para
/ graphs ascribing certain statements of
! attitude to individual Ministers. These
paragraphs are invariably inspired by
: hostile intent and they cannot be con-
I tradicted one by one ana hour by hour.
Such task would be endless. When
the time comes these Ministers are quite
d
will not hesitate to do so in their own
language. Meanwhile let personal re-
| elimination drop.
at is the poison of all good counsel
In every controversy there are mean.
: little men who assume that their own
motives in taking up a line are OF the
most exalted and noble character, but
that those who dare to differ from them
are animated by the basest personal
b aims Such men are a small faction,
/ but they are mischief makers that have
many "A time perverted discussion into
dissension.
Their aim seems to be to spread dis
4 trust and disunion among the men whose
cooperation is essential to national sue
cess. These creatures ought to be
stamped out relentlessly by all parties as
soon a. they are seen crawling along the
floor
1.-The opinions I have formed as Ia es-
sential action are prompted by sincere
persuas sion that nothing but the eNerton
OF our whole strength will enable us to
obtain the victory upon which so much