The Daily News. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1915. A DICTATOR WANTED.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 October 1915, Page 4

The Daily News. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1915. A DICTATOR WANTED.

To-day's cables state that at a meeting in the Strand the Hon. S. Beresford I moved that King George dissolve Parlia-1 merrt and take personal command of ihe armies in the field. This was carried j amid cheers. The suggestion, the cable adds, is regarded at Home as merely a freakish proposal. It may be, but there is no doubt that an alteration in the present system would not be altogether disadvantageous. At the present time we see a divided Cabinet, members bickering and squabbling, putting their own petty feelings before the interests of their country. We see a Cabinet incompetent and weak-kneed, afraid to tell the country the truth about the war situation (probably becauso their own gross muddling and inefficiency might be shown to the world), and a Cabinet afraid, too, to mobilise the manhood of the nation in order to ensure the defeat of the enemy. Britain bus ever been well served by her sailors and soldiers, but her politicians have been her curse. Had they done their duty in the past there would probably have been no war to-day. They allowed the country to dwell in a fool's paradise,

when they knew positively that Germany was arming herself to the teeth for the purpose of springing at the throats of her peaceable neighbors. They were afraid to put the facts before the public and bring down a scheme of compulsory military training. That would have lost votes, and votes to them were more important than national safety. But they had no hesitation in advising the colonies to inaugurate a system of military training. That did not entail the losing of votes or affect any vested interests. The Empire could get along very well without a bickering Cabinet. The present is a time for deeds, not words; for the display of strength, not weakness; for cohesion, not division. The situation calls for a Cromwell, a dictator who will order tilings to be done and not have to go on his hands and knees and beg any person or class to ■do his or its duty. The whole Cabinet could be thrown overboard with advantage to the Empire and the Allies' cause, and supreme powers conferred on a man of the Kitchener type. There would then be less amateur strategy as waß exhibited at Antwerp, less bungling like that at Gallipoli, less diplomatic incompetence as shown in the Balkans. The situation calls for a man of iron to rule Britain to achieve the one great thing that matters—the successful conclusion of the war Divided counsels never hare won anything, and never will.