We have dealt elsewhere with the question of civilian control
over military policy, but must note here the speech made by Mr. Wyndham at Dover on Wednesday. According to Mr. Wyndham, the Cabinet are by no means content to choose the best military expert they can and then give him a free hand. Every week Lord Kitchener's plans for prosecuting the war are, he tells us, submitted to the Cabinet, and the Cabinet accepts responsibility in approving them They do not dictate as to the conditions or the officers to be employed in special districts, but directly superintend and endorse the general military policy. If this is correct, then the Govern- ment are doing exactly what we point out they ought to do,- i.e., not merely giving the military expert a freehand, but are using their own judgment, and taking a real, not a sham, responsibility. But is Mr. Wyndham's version correct? That is certainly not the impression given by Lord Salisbury. His attitude on the matter has always seemed to imply that Government responsibility ends in selecting the best expert and giving him a free hand. We believe him to be mistaken, and that, though the 'Cabinet may receive a weekly report, they probably make no serious attempt to control the military policy.
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