The Press Tuesday, December 14, 1915. Lord Derby's Campaign.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 15461, 14 December 1915, Page 6

The Press Tuesday, December 14, 1915. Lord Derby's Campaign.

Boring last wool* there woro suggestions in our cable news that Lord Derby's recruiting campaign might fail to secure tho number of men required ' for the successful prosecution of the war. At the eleventh hour, however, an extraordinary nwh was mado for the recruiting office?. Tho graphic descriptions of the rush which have been cabled to us show that tho awakening of the nation was something more than impressive: it -has boon astounding. "Whether tho position has been saved or not! -wo «hal! not know until Lord Derby's report has been disclosed, but every ono, whatever his views on conscription may be. ought to hopo that the '.ampaign has succeeded. For it is to be desired, not only that the necessary armies shall be secured, but that tho risks attendant upon the applica-tion-of compulsion shall be avoided. Lord Derby made it quite clear that his campaign ivas to be considered tho linai test of voluntaryism. On October 2_nd ho quoted the express authority of 3lr Asquith and Lord Kitchener for his that •'if this effort does not "succeed, tho country knows that "everything possible will havo been " done to mako the voluntary system a " success." A member of Lord Derby's

Committee has paid a tribute to tho as- / .ystaiico rendered by the newspapers. 1 and this is no more than the due of those journals which, convinced of the justice of oonscriptiou as a principlo, yet agrocd to suspend their advocacy of V it .and to deroto their energies towards ■ making a success of voluntaryism. Tho fact that labour organisations representing an enormous number of trade, 'inionists passed "anti-conscription resc--:'Jutkn»B, did not affect the justice of con- j !„.Bcrip\ion, hut it did impose upon all ' ;j>ttfridjae men the duty of doing their |

! utmost to avert the occasion for any serious disturbance of national unity. Papers so strongly in favour of compulsion as "Tlio Times.'' tho -'Spee-,-tator," and the -'Morning Tost." greeted the Derby campaign by placing their theories on the shelf. Unfortunately, in some Radical quarters there became evident a disinclination to accept tho Derby campaign as the last test of voluntaryism, and ono influential L'adical journal, "The Nation.'" even wrote in a hostile spirit of the attempt to increase tho resources of the nation. Thoro is 1 o certainty that a minority will not robe] if the result of the Derby

campaign is to demonstrate that compulsion will ultimately become necessary. Hut tiiis minority will not be able to <U> much mischief. Tlie position has boon completely changed by the recruiting campaign. Many people tvore formerly anti-conf-criptionists either through n feeling thai (inscription was unuece.'.sary or through animosity towards those advocating conscript ion. Should the Government resort to <onscriptio-n now, the susceptibilities of those people on either of the two points mentioned will not Ik> hurt. 11' the meantime the response to J/>rd Derby's appeal bus been magnificent. Before the war nobody would have, behaved it posj-ible—nobody, indeed, would have thought of suggesting — that Britain con id sccuro millions of volunteers in the event of a war. j The pcop!" of Europe are perhaps liot- j ter able than '.ho people of the British j Empire t.' realise what this gigantic j voluntary .effort amounts to. Kvon I

amongst our host friends in Europe thtTP u:-.('d to l'f. a feeling thnt Britain had framed hor world policy to suit the disinclination of the British people to assume largo voluntary burdens: and they had some excuse for expecting that in' tho "war Britain would not do much more than guard the seas and supply financial and commercial aid. Germany at any rate was quite certain about, "it. The enormous voluntary effort of Britain will therefore mako a profound impression upon the whole world. To tho colonies and to the Allies the response to tho call for recruit.? will be specially heartoning, for it is clear evidence that the people of Britain realise at last tho greatness of the task before their country, and aro determined to carry that task through.