New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-03-06
Popular Heroes and War.

The report that the British government
intends 70 enlist the services Of Lord
Fisher ain a new capacity" will undouDt-
edly be a cause Of much popular rejoicing
His sudden and unexpected resignation
from the Admiralty ten months ago was
received with dismay, and as 1t was con-
-ecturallv attributed to disagreement with
the policies and methods Of the civlilan
First Lord. so on the subsequent retire
mont Of the latter there was a loud cutlery
Tor the reinstatement Of the peoples hero
Rightly or wrongly. all the successes OF
the British navy were attributed to LORD
Fisher. the creator Of the Dreadnought. 1t
was Lord Fisher who had made the navy
what II was: it was Lord Fisher who COM
passed the defeat of Admiral Won Spec,
and if only Lord Fisher had been IN Office
earlier Cradock's squadron would surely
have been saved As TO the Dardanellea,
the fragrant errors were plainly at
tributable to the obstinacy and self-conceit
of the First Lord. In short. the successes
were all Lord Fishers and the failures all
Mr.. Churchlrs. And so, Of late, great et-
forts have been made 10 restore Lord
Fisher TO power; it has even been proposed
to give him new powers, 10 make him. as 1t
were. supreme ruler OF the navy.
E~tam's unreadiness for way has been
attributed by Lord Haldane moi so much
10 the failure Of statesmen as to certain
apathy i'm the people, and he called upon
ideas and express them with conviction
ana even passion" 1t can hardly he said
that conviction and passion are wanting
in the innumerable suggestions put forth
Of late with regard TO the proper conduct
of the war I'M all its details. and if the
people do not, as Lord Haldane advised.
cell on their leaders to think strenuous'y
for them" they at least appear to be Will
ing to think for their leaders.
This is evident enough in the advice
proffered by every WHITLEY OF the defence
0. London from air raids. and many other
questions which might be supposed 10 IN
volve considerable degree OF technical
knowledge. but the growing disposition to
express ideas with conviction and passion
is shown more clearly in the popular selec-
ton of strenuous thinkers to replace the
tanner sort in Office.
Not long ago there was great demand
for Major Winston Churchill as the only
competent reorganlzer OF the air defences.
Why he should have been hit upon 1t Is
hard to say. for certainly he never 7howed
any extraordinary foresight in the mat
ter. Two years ago he assured the House
Of Commons that any hostile aircraft APP
preaching Britain's shores would be
or mptly attacked in superior force by
swarm Of very formidable hornets and
wear before he dismissed all criticism on
he same score as silly panic language.
Moreover. when ne retired from the Ad-
.,iraltv his successor found thc air ser
20 in a state of hopeless confusion.
There may have been better excuse for
. clamor to restore Lord Fisher 20 Office
at the method. used must have shocked
even 50 convinced democrat a Lord Hal
dane. Placards were ostentatlously dis
played in London pointing out the abso-
Lutte necessity of giving him full control
at the Admiralty lie was the only man
who could beat the Germans. and the Ger
mans knew it-that was the gist of the no
tice to the public. and paSsers-by were in
vitcd to sign a petition for his appoint
mert as First Lord. or First Sea Lord.
Lord Kitchener was the peoples hero a
wear and half ago. but such methods as
these we're never used to put him in Office.
The attempt to reinstate Lord Fisher by
IN unauthorized referendum was probably
UNPARALLELED And it was, of course, a
cause of keen regret among his more pru-
dent friends and Of indignation among his
enemies. who were at a world of pains to
demonstrate that Lord Fisher IS not, and
never was, a great administrator, great
SEAMAN, or a great man in any sense
whatever. Thus. one Of his critics In
sisted that he knew nothing about war,
that he betrayed "a profound ignorance Of
the principles Of seamanship" and that
every one Of his much advertised innova-
tions had in fact, either been modified by
other hands or failed disastrously.
This was all little startling TO those
wto had learned 10 look on the British
navy OF to-day as largely the creation OF
Jack Fisher. II is certain, however,
that he has of late years made wonder
fdl impression on the imagination Of the
people. They know him, TOO, for man
Of singular zeal and vigor, and they re-
call what he said at the Hague Confer
ence seventeen years ago: "If ! ON in
command when war breaks out ! shall is
sue in my orders The essence Of war is
violence. Moderation in war is imbecllity.
Hit first, hit hard and hit anywhere"
People like 20 hear emphatic talk IF this
sort. and Lord Fisher apparent submis-
ioa TO Mr. Churchill in the matter q the