On Thursday a meeting of the General Officers holding the
official commands in England met at the War Office. No official information has been given as to the object of the meeting, but it is generally understood that the Generals were sounded as to what action the officers in their commands would take if the question were put to them which was put to the officers of the Cavalry Brigade at the Curragb. What was the object of this fresh use of the hypothetical question which has been so clearly condemned by Mr. Asquith P We hope that we shall not be thought to be unduly cynical if we state our opinion that it was a piece of election tactics. Mr. Churchill, as the peroration of his speech on Wednesday shows, has determined that the proper thing to do from the electioneering point of view is to raise the cry of "The Army versus the People." This cry would be much helped if he could say, " We took care to ascertain the views of the officers throughout the Army : AB a body they told us they would refuse to obey the orders of Parliament and the Executive if those orders were to put the Home Rule Act into operation. We ask you whether you will be governed by the Army or by your lawful representatives in Perlis ment?" The meeting of the generals, if our view is correct, was part of a scheme for manufacturing party capital to be used when- ever the Nationalists allow an appeal to the electors.
Previous page
