THE EARL OF DUNRAVENMy Lords, I rise to move to resolve—
That in the opinion of this House a full statement as to the military measures which Her Majesty's Government have in contemplation is desirable at the earliest possible moment.I rise really to ask a question of my noble friend the Secretary of State for War, but as I was anxious to make one or two observations upon that question I thought it would be more in order to put it on the notice paper in the form of a motion. I feel sure that the terms of the motion, that a statement from Her Majesty's Government in respect of military preparations is desirable at the present moment, will be acceptable to every member of the House, but it may appear unnecessary. That I do not dispute; and lest it should seem to imply that I attribute any reluctance to my noble friend the Secretary of State to impart that information, I wish to say at once, and emphatically, that such is not the case. Your Lordships will recollect that on Tuesday last my noble friend said, in answer to the noble Earl, Lord Rosebery, and, I think, the noble Earl the Leader of the Opposition, that he would at a very early date explain fully what measures Her Majesty's Government have in contemplation. A week has elapsed, all but a day, and though under ordinary circumstances a week is not a very important lapse of time, yet a week of silence in the present condition of tension of the national mind causes anxiety, and is hard to bear. I therefore hope that the noble Marquess will presently inform the House of the date, or, at any rate, the approximate date when he proposes to make his promised statement, and I venture to urge that it should be made with the least possible delay. The question of how the drain upon the normal military resources of the country is to be made good, how sufficient reinforcements can be sent to the seat of war, and how the defensive strength of the 551 country is to be raised to the requirements of any eventuality, is the one matter upon which the nation demands, and naturally and properly demands, information. One remark that fell on Tuesday last from my noble friend the Secretary of State caused me some little uneasiness. He said he did not consider the debate on the Address a suitable occasion to make a full statement "on a very technical matter." I would suggest that great detail is, at any rate in the first instance, unnecessary in the statement so anxiously looked for, and if a very technical explanation involves delay it is to be deprecated. Great technicalities and very elaborate statements of detail are apt to obscure the main facts, and what the constantly-quoted "man in the street" wants to know at once is what steps Her Majesty's Government are going to take to render effective the potential strength of the nation, with a view not only to the determined prosecution of the war, to the only settlement with which the nation will be satisfied, but also to preparedness against, I won't say the probability, because I believe there is no probability, but the merest possibility of the occurrence of any unforeseen event that might render still more grave the very grave and serious position in which the Empire is placed. In South Africa disaster—and I do not hesitate to say that up to the present the campaign has been disastrous—may be traced, in almost every case, to one cause—lack of sufficient strength. What is the result? Our forces are everywhere stalemated, and they have been asked to perform, and to their enduring renown they have performed, tasks which, even allowing for the magnificent courage and splendid fighting qualities they have displayed, were, according to the ordinary rules and arithmetic of warfare, disproportionate to their strength. We want to know that sufficient troops will be sent out to satisfy the now proved requirements of the case. We want to feel, in addition to that, that the Government are taking timely steps to provide against any possible emergency, however remote, that may add difficulties to an already difficult task. We want to feel that the strength of the nation will be utilised. There is a fund of strength—not inexhaustible but well-nigh inexhaustible—a fund of strength, moral and physical, in the nation upon which the Government may safely draw. They can rely upon it their drafts will not be dishonoured. The 552 fund is waiting to be drawn upon, anxious to be drawn upon; but to be utilised effectively it must be drawn upon in time. It is idle to try and disguise the fact that, justly or unjustly, the Government are thought to have been afflicted with defective vision, to have been all along troubled with a false sense of proportion and perspective, and it is unwise to ignore that an uneasy feeling exists that even now they do not fully realise the gravity of the situation. That feeling, however erroneous, should be dispelled. I may be told that even if Her Majesty's Government did minimise the situation in the past, it would be equally foolish to exaggerate it now. I do not think that is so. Neither Parliament nor the people will, I am convinced, quarrel with the Government for taking measures which may happily prove to be far in excess of anything that the future shows to have been necessary. I feel very sure that any measures that the Government think fit to take, however widely they may depart from ordinary custom and usage, will be welcomed, provided they are designed to place the nation in such a position that its utmost strength, whether for offence or defence, can, if necessary, be exhibited. That, I believe, is the one matter which exercises the public mind. People look with indifference if not with contempt upon speeches out of doors and debates in Parliament dealing with the past. Accusations and vindications appear to them very trivial matters now. Their attention is riveted upon the future. What they want to know and to feel is the certainty that Her Majesty's Government will take, and will promptly take, whatever steps are necessary to place the nation in such a position that its undeveloped strength can be developed, so that it may be able to prosecute the war vigorously to a conclusion, and, if necessary, defend itself under any circumstances which could possibly arise. Feeling strongly as I do on this subject, I venture to think that it is very desirable that a general statement, if not a full and detailed statement, of the steps which Her Majesty's Government intend to take, should be made known to Parliament and the country as speedily as possible.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (The Marquess of LANSDOWNE)553 My Lords, nothing is further from my thoughts than to blame my noble friend for the desire he has expressed to be furnished as soon as possible with a statement of our intentions, and I have certainly no wish to postpone needlessly the moment at which his desire may be gratified. But I am told that it is customary and convenient that statements of such a description should be made simultaneously in both Houses of Parliament. The House of Commons at this moment is still occupied in discussing the terms of the Address in reply to the gracious Speech from the Throne, and the general impression is that that discussion is very likely to last for some days to come. I am told that this obstacle—the only obstacle—is likely to disappear, probably within the limit of a week from the present date; and I can therefore intimate that as the approximate time at which I shall be able to make a statement to your Lordships. I gladly notice what fell from my noble friend when he said that he had no desire to press for a minute statement of the details of our scheme, and that what he desired to obtain from us was a general outline of the proposals which we had in contemplation. Meanwhile, I may perhaps be allowed to administer a grain of comfort to my noble friend by telling him that the postponement of the statement will not, in my belief, occasion any delay in the preparation of the measures themselves, because we are taking it for granted that the country desires that such measures should be adopted, and we are proceeding on that assumption and losing no time. All I think that I can usefully add this evening is that I entirely accept what was said by my noble friend as to the double duty which is incumbent upon us—the duty, I mean, of making adequate preparations for the prosecution of the war in South Africa, and also for the securing of the safety of these islands during the period when they must necessarily be denuded of a large portion of the forces which are habitually stationed within the limits of the country. I hope I shall be able to show your Lordships that we see our way to provide for both those objects, and I may certainly repeat, what has already been said on much higher authority than mine, that, having addressed ourselves to this task, we mean to carry it through, if I may use his words, "to the only conclusion which will be satisfactory to the people of this country."
§ Motion, by leave of the House, withdrawn.