In the course of the debate Lord Roberts made a
striking speech, in which he strongly criticised the present arrange- ments as to the artillery. He declared that the hundred and ninety-six Territorial batteries, by reason of their unsatisfac- tory composition, their want of proper organisation, and their lack of anything approaching to a sufficient training and gun practice, would not, in spite of their numbers, be of the slightest use in the field. On the contrary, they would be a positive danger. At the same time, he declared that the country owed a deep debt of gratitude to Mr. Haldane for laying the foundations of a national Army, the framework of which was quite admirable. The country would see that the framework was filled in. Lord Roberts went on to point out the dangers of a surprise invasion. Lord Portsmouth had pooh-poohed the suggestion that the invasion would be made at the time when we were least prepared for it, and said that the action suggested would be brigandage. The action might be called by any name you like, but we might be quite certain that no fear of the action being so designated would ever deter any nation coveting the possessions of another nation from quietly making all necessary preparations to gain their object on the first favourable opportunity. With Lord Roberts's warning as to the danger of a surprise invasion we are in the fullest possible sympathy. Modern war is not an affair of the tilting-yard, with ceremonies, salutes, and trumpet warnings. A sudden spring and a sudden blow at the heart are the bed-rock principles of men of blood and iron.
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