"NOSCITUR A SOCIIS."
[To Tar Enna or THE °Error...M."1
Sea.—" Vernon Lee" (Miss Violet Paget) would have been well advised, in the interest of the so-called Union for Democratic Control, not to reply to "S. R. H's" letter in sour issue of February 13th, since she makes no effort to repel his formidable indictment. Her mere presence in the Council of the Union is enough to condemn it in the eyes of all right-thinking Britons: but even apart from this there are other grounds for regarding it with grave suspicion. I think that I ant not doing it injustice in saying (1) that all its leading members are opponents, and some personal enemies, of Sir Edward Grey; and (2) that all belong to that small misguided section of the community who, if they had been able, would have kept Britain from going to the aid of Russia, France, and Belgium in August last. Hence their professed desire to establish " demo- cratic) control" of foreign polities appears to be only a specious pretext for concealing their real purpose—viz., In the first place to injure and overthrow Sir Edward Grey, and then, in the name of the "people," to get control of foreign affairs for the clique which they dominate. Those of us who regard Sir Edward Grey's conduct of foreign affairs as masterly in its wisdom and integrity, and who consider that Britain's failure in August last to come to the aid of Russia, France, and Belgium would have been not only unutterably disgraceful, but speedily ruinous to Britain herself, can only look upon this pseudo "democratic control" movement as an insidious and dangerous conspiracy. It is intolerable that any person who holds "Vernon Lee's" views should (from Italy or elsewhere) have any influence over British affairs.—I am, • University of Louden, King's College, Strand, W.C.
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