The Dominion. FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 1912. THE GOVERNMENT AND THE DEFENCE ACT.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1412, 12 April 1912, Page 4

The Dominion. FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 1912. THE GOVERNMENT AND THE DEFENCE ACT.

The deputation to tho Minister for Defence from the Citizens' Defence League on Wednesday was followed up yesterday by a deputation to the Minister from an exceedingly curious combination of objectors to the Defence Act. We have purposely deferred our comment upon the Minister's attitude until we have had before us the representations of the rival interests, and we feel indisposed to do anything much more than applaud the admirable attitude which Mr. Myers took up yesterday. That attitude takes the wind out of the sails of criticism—to some extent. But we may begin with a little criticism. In the first place Mit. Myers really had no right to be "surprised" that the friends of the Act should feel some anxiety about the Act. What else could they feel in view of the imperfections of Mn. Myers's earlier statement and the ■undisputed fact that by remitting the. sentences on offenders the Government had seriously interfered with the operation of the law? Mr. Myers on Wednesday was obviously anxious to be perfectly candid, and we value candour in a Minister to the point of repaying it with candid criticism. The essence of (lie Minister's statement on Wednesday was contained in the following sentences :

"So long as I am Defence Minister it i~ clearly my duty, anil I recognise it. to see thai Ihe law is carried onl. I received mnnv telegrams from different parts of the country on this subject jus', alter I was appointed, and niv reply to them all was that I intended In joe Ihr law enforced. I hove no option in tho matter, and so long as I am Alinistor for Defence.

you may bo assured that, whatever the law is, so far as it comes within my province it «'ill be carried out. . . . It was not (he inicntion of the Legislature t.uit imprisonment should tul'.aiv, but I hero is no alternative. Kvery man who is fined, ami who refuses to ]i!iy. is going to In- imprisoned. I waul to 'make thai pi'rfoctly clear. Hvcry man who docs nji do his tluty hy rcyi-loriiii; must he lined. When the (.•■imnmuit Icitiitci lhat there whs no alternative, it was considi r«l that, provided the law was carried out, in so t'nr as a nuWion ol' the sentence was served, they would ho justified in remitting the remainder ol t.ie sentence. I. want yon to clearly understand that even- men whose sentence has been remitted had served a portion of it."

The Minister, we sincerely trust, will see upon reflection that, if to convict an offender and formally inflict upon him a sentence that will immediately be curtailed is a vindication of the law, then it is a vindication of the law to convict the offender and discharge him forthwith. Mn. Myers's logic appears to affirm, and to ask us to agree, that the punitive section of the Act can be carried into effect by being robbed of all really -punitive character.

As we noted some days ago we have for months curbed our comments upon the defence administration in order not to embarrass the Government, and we arc still willing, on behalf of the Act, to help a Government that we really believe is not a good Government. The thing just now is the defence of the Act. The "Liberals," or a section of them, may try to turn the Act to political uses, but we shall not. We greatly distrust the Ministry, whose antecedents do not warrant the expectation of any large and patriotic courage, any determination to stick to its colours to the death. The Minister for Defence, however, compels our admiration after his performance of yesterday, and apart altogether from general politics we trust that the Ministry will not fall into the deep discredit of abandoning his firm declaration of policy. It is an encouraging reflection that they hardly dare do less than support Mn. Myers to the last detail. He was faced yesterday by a long, sharp, and bitter display of feeling—hv taunts, by sophistries, by a demonstration of hostility more vigorous and arrogant than any we remember to have assailed any Minister for many years. He replied with a firm and unshaken assertion of his attachment to the principles upon which the defence system is based; li: met the taunts and sneers of the deputation with courtesy and courage. It is impossible to overpraise his performance, which will be applauded bv men of all parties. Perhaps Mr. Myers was the less a "Liberal" Minister for letting himself speak out of the heart of his convictions; but it is the more to his credit that he did so. Almost certainly any other member of the Ministry would have paltered and palavered. But being now committed, the Government cannot without dishonour fail to rally to the support of the Minister for Defence to the lastditch. Their political opponents will nrofit politically if they do not. but it is a profit that their political opponents will rejoice to forgo.