Sir Wilfrid Lawson was, as usual, amusing about the Army
Estimates. He was well pleased that our rulers had now adopted a new mode of gaining that influence for England of which the popular party seemed so ambitious, namely, that of buying Stock certificates with the coupons cut off. That was a great deal better than paying for war, but then the Government should deduct the four millions thus spent from the sum spent on preparations for war, and this it had not done. If we were to contemplate going to war at all, we must fight either with an inferior force,—which would be cowardly,—or with a superior force,—which would be foolish,—or with an equal force,—which would be gambling. Therefore we ought not to fight at all, and at any rate, should not increase our Army. He did not believe in Lord Cardwell's scheme for " blending the Army into one harmonious whole." That was what they had been endeavouring to do for two years with the Liberal party, without success. He was for our letting the European Powers fight as they would,—as we did when Prussia and Austria went to war with Denmark, and when Ger- many went to war with France—and not meddling. We had much better settle how to bury our own Dissenters than what we should do for the Christians of Herzegovina. We wonder what Sir Wilfrid Lawson would think it worth while to do, after we had once abolished public-houses and established Home-rule. Non-intervention, perhaps, in our neighbours' affairs, and there- fore in municipal and Parliamentary disputes, would be his next cry. Minimise action, because all action assumes a conviction, and most convictions are wrong,' is about the upshot of his creed.
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