PEACE AND WAR.

Colonist, Volume LV, Issue 13774, 15 July 1913, Page 2

PEACE AND WAR.

In addressing the members of the London Press Club the other day Lord Rosebbry said:-,-" Your power is enormous. It is, of course, received from the people. As you give forth you receive back from tho people the mutual electricity which gives you 3 rour power. All that is a commonplace. But with regard to peace and war, there is no commonplace. With regai'd to_ legislation and so forth, you probably have not so much power as Ministers or members of Parliament, except when you embody the unmistakable voice of the people. With regard to peace and war, upon those issues you have paramount influencefar greater than any member of Parliament; as great as any Minister of the Crown himself. Yo.u when critical occasions arise can either magnify them or minimise them. I pray you in issues that involve peace and war diminish them as much as possible. (Hoar, hear.) We to-day reap the glory of the wars of 1813, a hundred years ago; we reap the glory without the .suffering. You,- I think, and I speak it from the bottom of my heart, have a power more than, any other body of men to promote or avert the horrors of war. I am quite sure tha/ my humble advice is not needed to men who know their business so much better than I can know it, but who sometimes in the hurry of journalism because it is a hurried profession— forget the great principles which must be at the elbow of the journalist as he writes, and may, for the moment, on tho impulse of the'moment, in defence against aggressive journalism from abroad, forget the great responsibilities they owe to their countrymen. J ask them, in theso few last words, when any such issues occur —and God knows that the atmosphere is electrical enough at this moment —not to say a word which may unnecessarily, or except in defence, bring about to their fellow-countrymen the innumerable catastrophies of war." (Loud ap-

plause.)