[To THE EDITOR Or THE " SPICCTLTOE."] Sra,—The leaflet referred
to by Professor Holland Rose in your issue of September 26th appears, as he points out, to be well calculated to further the objects of the Prussian military party, who will no doubt know how to make the utmost use of this unexpected assistance. The implication conveyed by
this egregious leaflet is that, if our diplomacy had been more directly under democratic control, we should not have gone to war. This can only be characterized as a gross and altogether undeserved insult to the British democracy. It is an insult to suggest that our people would refuse to defend the neutrality of Belgium which they had guaranteed, and would stand passively by whilst that country was invaded and despoiled. It is undeserved because the democracy, not only in these islands, but throughout the Empire, at once recognized the neces- sity for vindicating the national honour. With one voice they acclaimed the action of our Government, and one and all announced their determination to assist us with all their resources of men and means in prosecuting the war. This insult comes with a particularly bad grace from Mr. Ramsay MacDonald, who, when he dissociated himself from the action of the Government in declaring war, was at once repudiated by that great element of the democracy—the Labour Party— whose titular leader he was, and was forced to resign his position. Are the signatories of this leaflet prepared to accept the Prussian doctrine that in international relations morality has no place, and that might is right ? Nothing could have given a greater sanction to this claim than for this country to accept the German plea that the invasion of the country whose neutrality they had guaranteed was justified by their military
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