In the House of Commons the debate took much the
same eourse as in the House of Lords. After Mr. Wyndham bad put the official case, and after Mr. Asquith had very ably made mincemeat of it, Sir Arthur Acland-Hood, a soldier and a supporter of the Government, spoke very strongly against the action of the Government. His speech was for the most part absolutely sound, but he made a mistake in using language which implied that the Government had invited Sir Redvers Buller to " cook " his despatch, and so had asked him to do something unworthy of a gentleman. This, as Mr. Balfour had no difficulty in showing, is not a fair way of putting the matter. Mr. Balfour's speech, which wound up the debate on the Government side, was a remarkable piece of Parliamentary oratory, but though quite convincing upon the charge that the Government wanted Sir Redvers Buller to "cook " his despatch, it contained no valid defence for publica- tion. We can only say again that the publication of the censures on Sir Redvers Buller was necessarily a blunder if and when the Government decided not to take any action thereon. In the end the Government obtained a majority of 99 votes (215 to 116).
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