The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1916. OUR REINFORCEMENTS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 85, 7 November 1916, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1916. OUR REINFORCEMENTS.

The people of this Dominion were! shocked by the adverse vote cast by close on a million of tjieir felloy-1 subjects of the Empire when asked.a; simple question as to whether they i were in favor of the Government of, the Commonwealth having the same compulsory powers over them in regard to their military service outside i the country, as it now has over their j vService within it. The first shock having been survived, the actual result was found not to be so severe as at first supposed, there being, indeed, every hope that with tlie counting of the absentee soldier votes a majority will be found to be in favor of a “Yes” vote. To-day’s cables inform us that the “No” figures are decreasing rapidly, the actual majority being 69,811. r lho final count is being awaited with interest, not onlv by us, but by every thinking person throughout the civilised world to-day. On the question, the attitude of certain prominent Labor loaders in this country has called forth much adverse comment, and while there could bo no doubt of what the result of a similar referendum in Now Zealand would be, tli 0 great majority of the population deep down , iu their hearts thank Providence tliat ( such a momentous question for the Dominion and the Empire has already, been decided, and that the machinery, to call up the numbers for the reinforcements as required is on the Statute Book. The ethics of the ' Referendum need not he touched upon [ just now. There are, no doubt, main who are sincerely honest in their opposition to Conscription, hut who,' , nevertheless, at this stage of our Ins- ! Ol .y, can only he termed misguided 1 and superficially-educated individuals, ■ whom loyalists now look down upon l more m sorrow than in anger. Can (people so soon forget the first hours of horror of the invasion of Belgium, lor the crime of the Lusitania, the martyrdom of Nurse Cavcll, the sav--1 agery meted out to Captain Fiyatt, > and the untold ravishings of the Hun / hordes as they overran the homes of I

our gallant allies in Belgium anti Franco? Has the suffering ami

misery of the Serbians ceased to move

our emotions of compassion and hate? I The deeds of our kith and kin at

Gallipoli and in the deserts of Egypt, or the fights to the death of the Anzacs in their bayonet charges in the nightime, as pen-pictured by the London Daily Chronicle in nows just to hand—have these no abiding interest ? Recall the personality of those who have gone from New Zealand and the sacrifices that have been made by thousands of the Empire’s, noblest and best, in men, aye and' in women. True patriots shudder toj think of the future of the Empire were its destiny in the hands of those! who howl about voting against Con-] scription as “a blow for liberty” and ‘‘the cause of humanity.” If Ger-

many is to he beaten, the mightiest’ forces of her mightiest enemy, the| British Empire, must he arraigned to. do so; and in what way can this he' done but by the Conscription of herj men and her women, and her labor and her wealth ? So much for the general aspect of the case for Liberty,! Justice and Right. What is the posi-, tion in our Dominion to-day? We have Voluntaryism, and we have it! not! We have Conscription, and we have it not! The fact is we have, come to the parting -of tho ways. Voluntaryism has been slowly dying, and recruiting i\nder the voluntary | system has gradually fallen away. Ini tlie course of a few weeks, the] machinery for compulsory service will, he in full running, hut the trouble just now is to fill tho gaps in the November and December reinforcements. So much was heard at tho outbreak of war about a volunteer compared to a pressed man, and their relative merits (all bosh, of course) that some people cannot rid themselves of tho feeling that certain distinctions of class and treatment will grow up with the two systems side by side. Nothing of the kind need; be feared.. The Defence autboritiec have already given their word on that,) but had they not done so, public opinion would soon have asserted itself in tho interests of all. The feeling that Conscription should bo brought in without delay found public expression in a meeting of Timarn citizens last night, when the following resolution was carried with one dissentient: “That while this committee expresses its willingness to do anything in its power to assist the voluntary system, it would respectfully urge the Government tq es> pedite matters and enforce compulsory defence without delay, as it considers, that compulsion is the only sure method of keeping up our Expeditionary Forces for the Defence of the Empire.” From one end of the Dominion to tho other, they motion will receive hearty support, but, candidly, wo think it will do little practical good, as tho authorities are alive to tho exigencies of the situation, and the delay is theirs only through force of circumstances in dove-tailing the two systems. It is pleasing to note that energetic action is being taken in our own district by the authorities and the recruiting committee.