MR. CHURCHILL ON THE WAR.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1626, 18 December 1912, Page 7

MR. CHURCHILL ON THE WAR.

UNITY OF THE POWERS. NATIONAL DEFENCE. Mr. Winston Churchill, M.P., First Lord of the Admiralty, speaking: at the Cutlers' Feast at Sheffield on October .31, said :— Although tho speeches we havo heard luivo largely dealt with domestic affairs, 1 suspect that many of your minds have strayed from this festive and auspicious scene in safe .and. .comfortable England to the tremendous events which, are inarching forward in rapid Succession in the East of Em-ope. For the drama, or tragedy, which is moving to its climax in tho Balkans wo all have our responsibilities, and none of us can escape our share, of them by blaming others or by. blaming the Turk.. If there is anv man'here who, looking back over the last thii'tv-iive years, thinks that he knows where to fix the sole responsibility for all the procrastination and provocation, for all tho jealousies and rivalries, for all the religious and racial animosities which' havo worked together for this result, I do not envy him his complacency. But whether we blame the belligerents or criticise other Powers, or sit in sackcloth and ashes ourselves is absolutely of no consequence at the'present moment. Historians may same dav occupy themselves in unravelling the*tangled skein of events, but here and now we.hope for, and, so far as lies in our power, work for, a peaco which, when it comes, .will, for ever banish the spectre of war from these broad and once, fertile provinces now distracted by tumult, and which will give tranquillity and security to those who livo in those regions. This is the third great war which men ]iow living have seen waged over tho' quite measureablo problem presented by the Balkan people and the Balkan Peninsula. Let us hope and pray that when it- is over all the nations will he united in the resolve that about these affairs, at any rate, there shall never bo another war—'(cheers)—and that they will insist that the long and dismal chapter in human history whicli has been unfolded in that .quarter of the world shall, in oue way or another, ho closed once and for all.

Hopeful Signs. There are, happily, signs—many signs -"Which may encourage us in that hope. (Cheers.) We are face- to faco with events which, if Europe were reallv animated, with tho passion and hatred and ambition which pessimists occasionally ascribe- to her, might have brought ns within reach of tho long-predicted Anna-' geddon. But so far we see all the Governments are honestly striving to adjust tho difficulties and preserve.their unity, and to bring their combined influence to bear on a settlement which shall bo just to the belligerents, and for tho benefit of tho population concerned. So long as a loyal and honest spirit continues to govern the Great Powers, no problem will ansa from Uie Balkan struggle which cannot be settled to their common advantage, and to the lasting good of tho Balkan people, without any extension of the area now devastated by ' conflict. (.Hear, hear.) But thero is another aspect- of this war which awakens great reflection. We have sometimes been assured bv persons who profess to know that tho danger of war had become an illusion, and that in thc=e modern days that danger would not exist at all but for the machinations of statesmen and diplomatists," but. for tho'in? trigue of financiers, aided by the groundless suspicions of generals and admirals— (laughter)-aml fomented by the sensationalism of the press, all directed upon ™ ignorance and credulity o"f the people. Well, hero is a war which has arisen from none of these causes, which has broken out in spite of all that rulers and diplomatists could do to prevent it; a war m which the press has, had no part, a war which the whole force of tho money power has been subtly and steadfastly directed to prevent, which- has come upon Us, not through tho ignorance or credulity of tho people, but, on the contrary, through their knowledge of their history and their destiny, and from their intense realisation of their wrongs and of their duties, as they conceived them—a war which, from all thess causes, has burst upon us with all tho forco of a spontaneous explosion, nnd which, in strife and destruction, has carried all before it. Face to face with this 'manifestation, who is the man who is bold enough to say that force is never a remedy? Who is tho man who is foolish enough to sav that martial virtues do not play a vital part in the health and honour of every people? (Cheers.) Who is the man who is vain enough to suppose that the long antagonisms of history and .of time can,' in all circumstances,'-.be adjusted by tho smooth and superficial conventions of politicians and ambassadors? :•'

England Must be Prepared. When I consider what'is passing, else-' where and the position of our own country, I cannot help feeling—and I think you will share'my word—that wo nro fortunate, indeed, among the nations pf the world. (Cheers.) We are fortunate, being bom under a lucky star and in a good age; and wo have no old scores to pay off, no modern enmities to prosecute. Wo can survey, our past without a pang. Wo can survey our . future without a grudge. • ,

But wo must be prepared. (Loud and prolonged cheers.) We must be ready for all eventualities. It is good to be patient; it is good to be circumspect, to be praeeloving. But. that is not enough. (Cheers.) We must bo strong. (More We must Ira self-reliant, and in the endj.for all our partv politics,' wo must bo united. (Cheers.) If -our hearts 7-011'r British -hearts—are' devoid of hate, if our skies'are clear, we owe it to those valiant.generations who,'by their prowess and manly wisdom, have slowly raised tho fortunes of this small island to the summit of • a . glorious Empire,, which draws, this year into closer unity" under tho' influence of freedom and peace. (Cheers.) Wo live' in a world.of unceasing change. The spirit of decay pervades all human arrangements. No race, no empire, no institution can repose for any length, of time .on past virtues or past achievements. Unless'we renew-'our strengthcontinually, unless wd revive and exalt without ceasing those impulses of comradeship and duty which are the true smirce of .mtional. strength, wo canuot hope to-preserve'indefinitely 'our happy and prosperous position. We must so manage our afrairs'aml organise our corporate- life that those who come after us' shall have- easier, and not harder, burdens to bear, that they shall have fewer 'dangers to face, and the' greater resources with which- to meet those dangers-

To Hold What We Have Won. When wo compare our fortunate position in the. world with that of other people now so desperately struggling, we cannot but feel how much wo have to bo thankful for. It would, indeed, be shameful if we, who havo inherited so much, if we, who had so much clone for us hefore we came into the world, if we, who started so fair on the path of life, were to leave to ouv children nothing but bitter memories to avenge and vast misfortunes to retrieve. There aro no doubt many features in the organisation of British, politics and British society, in all its phases, which are anxious and perplexed. Thero are military and industrial and Constitutional problems which rightly exercise tho minds of thoughtful men. The tasks which devolve upon us are serious, the times in which we live are critical.

Wo have to hold what we have won. (Cheers.) Wo have to unite and consolidate the Empire, and to reconcile, where reconciliation is needed, its various peoples. Wo havo to create conditions of life and labour which nro'not unworthy of au Imperial democracy. Of course, there are those who say" that wo shall fail, but, standing here to-night, I believe I shrilli express our true conviction that, although perfect solutions of all our difficulties arc not to bo looked for in an imperfect world, and although persistent disagreements as to our methods are inevitable, and not necessarily nnhealthy yet in our own British fashion—which no ono else understands—(laughter)— we shall in our lifetime make a notable advance in most of the directions I have mentioned, and hold our own. on every point (Cheers.) In that work each party in tho State can and ought to make its contribution. If they do their duty, simply and sincerely according to their lights, then the nation, which as greater than all the parties put together, will havo no reason to doubt itself or fear its future. . (Loud