CAPTAIN FISHER S RESIGNATION.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11726, 29 October 1903, Page 4

CAPTAIN FISHER S RESIGNATION.

A letter from Captain Fisher, which appears in another column, informs us that “Cabinet,” as the result of the recent enquiry, has called upon him for his resignation, which ho has accordingly forwarded to his commanding officer. We are not in possession of the evidence given before the Court of Enquiry, and are, therefore, not in a position to say what are the reasons which have led Cabinet to take this extreme course. What seems very clear from Captain Fisher’s statement, however, is that the Court of Enquiry conducted its proceedings in a very irregular fashion'—in a manner neither in accordance with military procedure nor British ideas of common justice—and that in any case the matter was not one for Cabinet to deal with, but for the Commandant of the Forces to decide. Furthermore, we have no hesitation in saying that if the offence for which Captain’ Fisher has been cashiered is contained simply in the letter which appeared in our columns, in regard to the Patriotic fund, and his subsequent letter to Colonel Porter, maintaining his right as a private citizen to send that letter to the papers, then the punishment is grossly out of proportion. We do not altogether approve the tone of the second letter, but General Babington, with that document before him, said that he thought Colonel Porter would have been well advised if he had informed Captain Fisher that he could not. claim a duifl personality and so let the matter drop. That the Ministry should directly interfere in the discipline of the volunteer force is, we think, most improper. Parliament should, in our opinion, lay down the rule that such questions as that under notice should be settled by the commandant on his own responsibility after fully considering the facts of the case. It should also ascertain whether the proceedings of the Court of Enquiry were submitted to u-eneral Babington in the present instance, and if so, what view he took of the matter.