The Press. WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 27, 1912. THE LATEST ATTACK ON LORD ROBERTS.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14523, 27 November 1912, Page 8

The Press. WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 27, 1912. THE LATEST ATTACK ON LORD ROBERTS.

If'the Briti-h Government wishes to answer Lord Roberts it should put up someono with more knowledge and experienc- than is possessed by Mr F. _> Acland, the Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs. That gentleman has h-ea singularly nnfortupato in his utterances recently. H_ commented ia a moat injudicious way on the American Presidential election, unmindful of the good rule that a Minister i* not supposed to interfere in the domestic concerns of another country, and was publicly rebuked by tho Prime, Blioister. Then he criticised Lord,

Roberts's Manchester epeeeh, and said _ that a schemo of universal training —that is to say, insistence on EnglishL men doing their plain duty in learning to defend their country—would bo "horribly provocative." .Now he has »* returned to this dangerous ground, c, and accuses Lord Roberts of being partly responsible for the want of a good :d understanding with Germany. Gero man Jingoes, ho said, would conclude L from such utterances as Lord — Roberts's tliat Britain would attack Germany when she was sufficiently strong to do so. This latter _toteu ment shows how completely men of Mr ,s Acland's way of thinking misunderstand the wholo problem of AngloL Gorman rivalry. The fact is that beforo any appreciable number of people in England began to reati-0 X that thero was any danger beyond the North Soa, influential Germans were ~ preaching war against England. The great Treitschke, "that supreme educator of our nation," said in his final message to his countrymen that ho _ hoped to live to sco tho collapse of British naval supremacy. It- was only _ through, tho warnings of a number of • English publicists that tho English ;- public becamo awaro of tho anti-Eng-i lish ambitions that had been burning a so Jong in Germany, and it is quito t ridiculous to expect men like Lord \ Roberts to sit quiet and say nothing when they feel profoundly convinced that their country is in danger, . merely becauso it may be ''horribly provocativo" to tako steps to meet tho danger. Tho causes of Anglo-German rivalry iio much deeper than Mr Acland and his school can see, and thero is only one way to ensure safety, and that is to bo quit© prepared at all points for war. Ono of tho most distinguished of English military critics has said that if England adopted universal service, Continental general staffs would tear np their piegon-ho)o : schemes for tho invasion of England. It is. becauso tho nation is not a i nation in arms that the idea of invad- s ing England, even at tho risk of being 1 caught by the British fleet, is so 1 attractive. Tho prize is so dazzling \ that tho risk is but a puny light beside , it. Tho highest authority of tho , German General Staff has stated that j tho loss of tho German Navy would £ not bo too high a prico to pay for a \ successful landing in England. "Wo ' " aro nervous, and wo affect adversely A "tho nerves of Europe," says this } English export, "becauso wo refuse to c "look many unpleasant facts of the { "present day squarely in the face, J " and fail to take those measures which t "wo know to bo necessary to securo a "tho tolerable safety of tho Imperial t "fabric." This was written four f years ago, but tho ovents of to-day givo t it greater weight than it had then. s _, , _