We are very glad to see that the Daily Express
main- tains its vehement, but perfectly well justified, campaign against our remaining any longer in Palestine and Mesopo- tamia. It is quite right for Mr. Bonar Law not to commit himself absolutely and to demand time for con- sideration ; but the voice of the country ought to be clearly expressed. The questions of Palestine and Mesopo- tamia are among the most important—nay, by far the most important—which will have to be settled by the Government. By making its opinion on this matter felt the nation will enormously strengthen wiser counsels in the Cabinet. If the voice of the country is uncertain,. Ministers will almost inevitably feel bound to continue the status quo with all its dangers and risks. We are sorry for the suffering of innocent people which may be caused by our evacuation. But we must never forget that by staying in Palestine and Mesopotamia and spend- ing a vast amount of money—we might have to spend by the hundred million before the end—we should cause great suffering here. Don't let us be so foolish as to think only of the visible things and not of the invisible, which are quite as momentous. We do not see the destruction wrought by the tax-collector ; but it is often quite as bad as that of the sword or the torch of Kurds or Arabs.
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