THE WILFUL BLIND.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 June 1918, Page 7

THE WILFUL BLIND.

MR L. M. ISITT, M.P., ON THE WAE.

Some trenchant remarks concerning peace advocates and other faint hearts were made by Mr L. M. Isitt, M.P., at the Empire Day demonstration by the Overseas Club at Christchurch. MY Isitt said that however warweary we might be, no matter how our minds might revolt from the carnage, we could never turn from our efforts to crush the Prussian eagle until there was a conclusive peace. (Hear, hear.) The resolution of our souU must be war, war, no peace. Our enemies had never left us in any doubt as to what their intentions were. We had in the past been foolish, but that was the sin of ignorance. If to-day there was a man ignorant of Prussia's crime and intent it was a crime on his part. It was onlv an ignorance because those who held it shut their eyes and would not see. ft was not the ignorance of the blind and uninformed, it was the ignor ; ance of the weakling and the coward, and the traitor. It was not the proper attitude to find fault with the Government and the military. The blunders had not all been on our 9ide. What a contrast there was between the work of our men at the front and the rotten things one often sees in New Zealand. The man who sat upon his tail yapping about the mistakes of other men was not a patriot, he was a cur, (Applause). There 3eemed to be many in our midst to-day who thought that only those who prated of conscience and cried for peace were the only ones who had any perception of things. We had the assumption from these people that all those nerving themselves to part from husband, son, or brother were seeking vainglory. Such an assumption was an outrage. We knew that before us lay the Calvary, bill- we knew that before it could he reached the road must be travelled l>y many dripping feet. We must rid the world of the brutal Hun and the unspeakable Turk. Wo must by God's help travel on anit pile sacrifice on sacrifice and effort on effort until God gave us our reward. (Applause.)