The New Zealand Times. FRIDAY, AUGUST 6, 1915. IMPERIAL UNITY

New Zealand Times, Volume XL, Issue 9115, 6 August 1915, Page 4

The New Zealand Times. FRIDAY, AUGUST 6, 1915. IMPERIAL UNITY

Imperial unity characterised the great anniversary demonstration of_ yesterday. It was a celebration, moreover, worthy at once of the noble object for which the Empire has drawn the sword, of the great democracies represented under its battle flags, and of the magnificent behaviour of the fighting men and the civil populations sustaining them by every means in their power. There is, we say at the outset, no such collection of speeches in our records as those delivered yesterday in every city of the Dominion, so inspired with lofty patriotism, so determined in righteousness, so remarkable for enlightened understanding of the events on which the justice of our cause is based.. These represent perfectly the strong attitude of a proud, brave, self - respecting people tenacious of- fundamental human rights, faced with a great crisis forced on by the. attempt of an arrogant, most powerful enemy to trample on the grand inheritance of freedom handed on to them by their forbears, and to ignore the principles of justice for which those forbears fought and bled through centuries of heroic efforts against both domestic tyranny and foreign.aggression. That was the note of the repetition in both Houses of the Legislature of'the historic scene of August, 1914, proving that twelve mouths of war have not diminished by one jot the enthusiastic loyalty with which the Legislature faced tho declaration of hostilities. It was the note also of the great assembly of representative men in the Town Hall. It was the note likewise sounded by all the meetings of local bodies and of private citizens throughout the Dominion. In sterling, manly speech it has been shown that liberty and justice are not mere words in the Rntain of the South.

The resolution of the Legislature records its “inflexible determination to continue to a victorious end the struggle for maintenance of those ideals of Liberty and Justice which are the common and sacred cause of the Allies. The Prime Minister’s speech briefly showed the righteousness of the cause, and stated with terse truth the designs of the enemy. The leader of the Opposition noted how the Unit fed Kingdom had closed all gaps; gave credit to the patriotic efforts of every section of the people of the Empire, and enlarged on the solidarity they would give to the Imperial relations of the future. The speech of the leader of the Legislative Council struck the note of defiance, proclaiming the certainty of victory, coming as it always had come on occasions of similar import; and his seconder, praising the gallantry of our men at the front, indicated tho strenuous nature of the task which the business of tho war entailed on the authorities. All four speakers upheld the Empire’s cause, all gave voice to its courage, all voiced the unyielding determination of the people of the Dominion to fight on to final substantial victory. The Prime Minister, in addition, forwarded a stirring answer to the Empire’s appeal, which will show the British people that the strength of New Zealand's loyalty is second to none in the great Empire to which they are proud to belong, and to which they will devote their last man and their last shilling. The Town Hall heard the same sentiments, and resounded with the same acclamations of determination. The same resolution was the theme of the speeches. The Mayor led with fine appreciation of our own soldiery, and ended with a just tribute to the great British Navy, which, he might well have added, has saved the situation for the Allies in face of the tremendous odds against them. The Prime Minister and the leader of the Opposition roused the meeting as they had roused the House. The Chief Justice carried cm the grand strain with the fervent de-. claration that we are taking “one of the steps in tho forging of tho British Empire into an organic unit,” and he gave the weight of his experience to the fact that nowhere else can we find tho same measure of freedom and justice. The Defence Minister emphasised the duty to our “Nationality, ouf King, and our God.” Sir John Findlay spoke magnificently of “the terrible ordeal” that we have faced, and will go on facing, at all costs, to final victory in the struggle to the death between Democracy and Despotism, between free institutions and the tyranny of blood and iron; paying, as he swept

along, high tribute to Lloyd George and tho vast .service he had done in showing to Labour the true perspective of tilings. Tho Archbishop, briefly showing the righteousness of our cause, spoke* well for the Empire in true British fashion, denounced in ringing tones tho German elevation of Might over Right, spoke kindly words for the Belgian nation, pointing out the immense debt tli© Allies owe to their noble, selfsacrilicing courage in staying the march of the Kaiser’s hosts. The Bishop followed, with glowing cuiogy of Justice, and recognising the immense x )o "'ei' of tho Germanic Empire, called upon a to face it with cairn courage and firm determination of utmost effort each in his sphere. Dr Gibb was perforce brief but as sound and bravo as his predecessors. The other speeches were worthy of the Imperial resolution which the meeting carried with enthusiasm and royal honours. And as the capital, so was the whole Dominion, which will look back throughout its history with pride to yesterday’s proof of constancy and sacrifice and tho passionate devotion to freedom and justice, which are the foundation, and cohesion of this great Empire-