A CRITICAL POINT REACHED.

Otago Witness, Issue 3353, 19 June 1918, Page 20

A CRITICAL POINT REACHED.

SPEECH BY MR ASQUITH. (By Cable.) Mr Aequith, who was the guest of the Aldwych Club, had an enthusiastic reception. During the course of a speech he said it was useless to cloak the naked fact, but we had reached a critical point in the fortunes of the war. He, however, wished to say decisively, but without bravado, that nothing had happened on the western front since the end of March which would weaken our allegiance to the great cause for which we were fighting or our determination to press on to victory. Fighting superior numbers tinder unfavourable conditions, we stubbornly contested every mile, and our retirement was not marked by a single trace of panic or demoralisation. Our withdrawal was conducted with coolness,- gallantry, and unfailing readiness to take advantage of the opportunities for counter-attack. The tide of invasion was not yet steadied, and we could therefore try to imagine our 'feelings if the enemy was as close to London as it was to Paris. Then we would be able to measure the perils and anxieties of our gallant Allies. It would be folly to attempt to forecast pending strategic developments, but there was a situation of equal gravity at the beginning of the war. That threat was brought to nothing by counter-strokes of genius and audacity. The way the enemy had dealt with Russia and Rumania showed that Germany's triumph would be the death knell to all democratic ideals. German methods of warfare had brought the United States into the war. America's entry into the conflict was introducing new methods in world affairs, and the old diplomacy must take its place among the antiquities, which were interesting only to collectors and dealers. It was useless to attempt to forecast the future, but the only peace worth making or taking was one which would open a new road free of toll to all peoples, great or small—a road which was safeguarded by the common will and the common power of all nations for future progress and humanity. The British Empire had already raised an army of 7,000,000, and had spent £7,000,000,000 in money; yet it had done this without any selfish object, except perhaps selfdefence. The verdict of history would require that such sacrifices were not made in vain. Personally., he. thought Ave had reached a stage" of the war when there would be no 'fear in laying before the people the actualities of the situation, whether favourable or adverse. The British all over the world were ready to face, with clear eyes and cool nerves, any conjunction of circumstances; but if the truth were told there was a reciprocal duty on the public. The war always provided an atmosphere for the absurd and cheaper forms of advertisement, sensation-monger-ing, and cruder things in public life, and these at times found a ready market among people of low intelligence and high credulity.—(Cheers and laughter.) The real danger, however, was not in this direction, but in the fear that in the stress of the daily bulletin recording doubtful battles and occasional yielding of ground we were tempted to lose our sense of proportion!. The public must take large views, and not distort things. There was never a time when honest patriotic criticism was more valuable. If we kept our eyes fixed and our hearts set on the great dominating purpose to which we had consecrated our energies, we might rely with certainty that they would be achieved. LORD MTLNER'S OPLNTON. Lord Milner, speaking at the Y.M.C.A.

headquarters, said Germany -was now at the climax of her power, and, therefore, we must fight as we had never fought before in our history, as our noble French Allies were fighting to-day, until America was fully mobilised. General von Stein had been sneering at America's power, but the speaker thought he would live to regret those sneers. Lord Milrier concluded as follows : '' Beware of the criticism of our Allies and former Allies. Nothing could be more unreasonable than abuse of Russia. One does not abuse a delirious man who strikes a blow at a friend."