FOR DEFENCE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 544, 26 June 1909, Page 7

FOR DEFENCE.

:.t ;; A STBIKINC SPEECH. -ARMf AND THEi DEMOCRACY.. ■; ' i;Ator distributing'the prizes at tho College Hinos' 'annual smoke concert last evening, Major Av deß, : Brandon delivered a striking speech on: the question of national He.proposed, ho;-said,'V.by -way of preface, to enunciate o ; few bod-rock principles, ■ • There, was a' distinction' between '.democracy and military rule. -.The British Constitution was a,.limited 'monarchy,;' with certain established constitutional, procedures..- The • .British army '■■■. was; 'not;.; a standing • army, as was .'generally- '-.supposed;..'it;;-was - the army; of;'■''.. the"': people,;_. controlled. ;■ by the peoplo," under tho provisions of the Army Act, which authorised the army expenditure as' : froiri;year to year only. :In New' Zealand: tlie;position'.;was somewhat:different.-; /New, Zealand was a democracy, and the influence of jthat, democracy on its ostablished.Jnstitu-' tions was vorymuch more strongly.marked fchaui in: Britain, where'the disciplinary influence: of the monarchy''-.and ;; aristocracy :sefvcd. to'countcrbalancethq, of the principle .of democratic .control to include itself.. to tho 'extent of political : .interf ereflco with '-.the .management .and; organisationof these.*institutions.V ; [:-\-'-x/'. -:; . ;■-■•'':,' , 'Boss';;Rula.';;V;:: '■''In''a.;democracyi .;the will o(. thei majority was,', in ; theory, Vsupremeji; in- also, they "wore supposed to ..take., an. 'intelligent intorest'ahd.voto intelligently On all questions before ,them.i : But. human'nature'was human: naturej and,in prabtico'; government by .the democracy 'itself), into; govern--. men.t,-by':,partyj : and:that,'' ,as !: iri America,' tehded.'tb govorn«ent.by •a;,'V^-':'-v'Tho.es-sence of rule,, as in the constitution :of lan., army,'' was: gbverriment'byXa.suprbine; authority, ; ;,with - a;- chain : of down: through the organisation,of .the army. But an army controlled :by a'democracy .'was fundamentally.'■'-;weak.':' : The .lessons?;'bf ■ 'the South African "War. showed thathad i.thd Boer forces 1 ibeen,freed from the control-: of "their deniocracyi ■ the ■ British ■ forces ..Would .never: have got farther than a hundred; miles from Cape 'Town, .'vllo entire history of warfare 'compelled.him.to say :''Save.us from an ;;army which'was '.contrblled .by. a dein'o-'^^•vi:'i'i.vi":/;-:v:'. i -:" =.'■;:.' ;-£Ki-'-W!s^ 'That •brought him to the crux of his'argu-ment-Tithe of' New •Zealand'defence, If • they 'were' to have: : an: efficient';- army 1 ' of defence;',;that'- army':'.niust'i-befreed ,from;ihe. control ;.of ■■ the . -He declared, with emphasis,! that, the New Zealand 'volunteeri army: of defence,, under the controlVof.thb democracy/ had : been;a failure.;,' The political; authority controlled the expenditure of tho army estimates down to tho very-last sixponce. Ever sinco Colonel Fox brought down his memorable report, which no one gave heed to, tho volunteers had been controlled by a Cabinet Minister, and in that system lay tho failure of the volunteer army of New Zealand. Not until they had at the head of their army a commander-in-chief, responsible to Parliament alone, with absolute charge of tho expenditure for tho organisation' and control of tho forces, down to the last sixpence, they would never have ian efficient detenoo force. ' The Peril of Militarism. They talked of compulsory military training as the only solution of national defence. There was an inherent danger in a system which practically meant that armed citizens controlled the ballot boxes Tho horrors of the Paris Commune furnished an instance 'of militarism run riot. There was a latent clement of brute* force in a condition of militarism which needed very little'excitation to bring it to the surface. A system of compulsory training was'well enough if they had an efficient and thoroughly organised force, wherewith to build upon when a national necessity called tho trained citizens to arms. He hoped, in conclusion, that .they l would reflect upon what ho had said, and strive to inculcate in the minds of their follow citizens, tho principles to, which" ho had given expression. '