THE DEFENCE INQUIRY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1837, 25 August 1913, Page 4

THE DEFENCE INQUIRY.

Sir, —It is earnestly to be hoped that both sides of the liouso will vigorously unite to maintain intact our 1 present excellent Defence Act. So far prominent members of tlio Opposition, such as Mr. Myers, and others, havo sliown a, loyal and cliivalrous spirit on this important question that has been qyito abovo party. Let us liopo this will always be so. Any. leniency in regard to tlio "shirker"' ought not to be entertained for a moment. Such leniency being indirectly an injustice to all thoso lads who havo observed the law ond faithfully earned out their duty. It is a most extraordinary tiling that there should bo anything in the nature of sympathy for that class who deliberately makd it their business to defy the law, and incite others in the same cowardly and unpatriotic direction. This would 1)0 most reprehensible at -any time, but is doubly so all the time cf fearful unrest such as exists among the nations of tlio world to-day. In this connection, and as a conclusive answer to thoso unthinking people v.ho would havo .the compulsory clauses removed from tlio Act, « remarkable ai tide in tlio Juno number of "The National Ecviow" on tho "Voluntary System" will eemmend itself. Tho article in question traverses -tlio whole question, and over a large tract of history, and by accumulated evidence proves the utter .fallacy of the popular notions on the subicct. —I am, etc., i R. JOHNSTONE.