THE OPPOSITION AND THE ARMY. [TO TIM EDITOR OP THR
"SPECTATOR.1 Sin,—In your kind and, in the circumstances, even generous review of Pillars of Society, reference is made to the occasional "halfpenny hysterics" into which the writer lapses. One illustration is given. It is the passage in which, referring to Sir Frederick Banbury, I say that "Conservatives of his type are loyal to Parliament so long as Parliament is controlled by them, and that when that ceases to be the case they begin to think of the Army." But is this an illustration of " hysterics " ? Is it not a very simple statement of fact ? For months past a rebel army has been drilling in Ulster—under the sanction and with the inspiration of the Conservative leaders—for the purpose of resisting the determinations of Parliament. The Conservative press and the Conservative platform echo with menaces of revolt among officers and men of the regular Army. We are told that many officers will resign their commissions and fight for Ulster, and Lord Charles Beresford and other flamboyant half-pay officers announce that they will do the same. All this is not repudiated by the leaders of the Conservative Party. On the contrary, it is encouraged and endorsed. Surely it is not "hysterical" to record a conclusion which seems to be the least disputable fact of contemporary
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