Mr. Childers made a very interesting administrative speech to his
constituents at Pontefract on Thursday. He confined
himself to the questions connected with the administration of the Army, but on these he explained very lucidly the aims of the policy which he had pursued, and claimed for it, on the whole, a remarkable success. He referred to the disputes which are understood to have taken place between the Horse Guards and the Ministry of War, with reticence and dignity ; but it was easy to see that he abated nothing of his privilege of ruling the Army, declaring that as he is made as responsible for what is done by his military as by his financial subordi nates, he must claim the authority corresponding to that re- sponsibility ; and indeed he has claimed it, as all the world now knows, with success. He recounted his new plans for recruiting, and declared that they had absolutely solved the difficulty, since he has now as many recruits of an older age than before,—the minimum age is raised from eighteen to nine- teen,—as he wants. He has made the non-commissioned officer- ships and the warrant officerships—the latter being intermediate between non-commissioned officerships and commissions—so de- sirable, that the change has improved the whole character of the recruits themselves ; and he has now nearly attained the point of always having a corps d'arm4e of 25,000 thoroughly-trained men ready for active service. These are great reforms, and they have been attained by that steadiness and clearness of aim which have always made Mr. Childers' administration at once so fruit- ful and so tranquil, so considerable in result, and so very dis- proportionate to the stir made by his occasional victories over the great subordinates whom he controls.
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