Ivo TIM EDITOR OP Till "EPPCTATOP•1
Sin,--The Executive Committee of the Navy League is much indebted to you for the strong support you have given in your issue of the 6th inst. to the article in the July Navy League Journal on the Channel Fleet. But in the note appended to the letter of Messrs. Wyatt and Horton-Smith on this subject you say that it is difficult to reconcile the publication of this article with the resistance to the demand for stronger action put forward by those gentlemen. Permit me to observe that this demand was based on seven other resolutions which were moved by those gentlemen at the general meeting on May 15th last, but were not carried. The majority of the members then present decided to support the policy of the Committee in refusing to agitate on the facts alleged in those seven resolutions. But the subject of the Channel Fleet was not discussed then at all, and has been dealt with by the Committee on its own motion and quite independently of the present agitation. There has there- fore been no inconsistency on the part of the Com. mittee, • nor is the Committee conscious of any "mistake," "terrible" or otherwise, as alleged by Messrs. Wyatt and Horton-Smith. The refusal to agitate on the seven points, and the decision to agitate now about the Channel Fleet, are due to the simple fact that in the former case the Committee thought agitation was not warranted, and that in the latter case it was warranted in the national interest. In the former case the Committee had the strong support of naval experts ; in the latter case the Committee has already some support from the Press, and hopes to receive further support from such naval experts as are free to express an opinion.—I am, Sir, &o., WM. CAIUS CRirrcHLEY, Secretary. The Navy League, 13 Victoria Street, S.W.
[We have also received a letter from Messrs. Wyatt and Horton-Smith in regard to the Navy League, but as it has already appeared in the daily Press, and so obtained a very wide circulation, we do not think it necessary to find room for it. The chief point in their letter is that " the dominant majority of the Navy League " issued a circular in which they stated that should a certain event take place the Executive Committee would reign. Yet in the case of four of the Com- mittee their names were thus used without their consent. We cannot go into the merits of this dispute, but may note that Friday's papers contain a letter from the secretary of the Navy League traversing the letter of Messrs. Wyatt and Horton-Smith on the ground that all the members of the Committee bad ample notice of the Committee meeting at which the circular was decided on.—ED. Spectator.]
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