DECLARATION DAY.

Colonist, Volume LVII, Issue 14165, 16 August 1916, Page 1 (Supplement)

DECLARATION DAY.

SECOND WAR ANNIVERSARY.

MEETING AT CHURCH STEPS

VIGOROUS SPEECH BY MR EVANS.

vFrom "The Colonist," August 5.)

- m i' c was a large gathering at the % Lhurch Steps last evening on the oc--3 casion of the second anniversary of the declaration of war between Britain and Germany, and the resolution expressing j determination to continue the present war to a victorious conclusion was uranunously carried amidst entliusiasm A large muster of Territorials, Cadets ' ar,c. members of the National Reserve tiiOK part in the proceedings. j .The Mayor (Mr 0. J. Hariey) presmed, and having explained the'object Ox tae gathering he moved thofollowl ing motion:—"That oh this, the second anniversary of the declaration of. a righteous war, this meeting of citizens r records its inflexible determination to .. continue to ,a victorious e&d the stru«----r gle in maintenance of those ideals' of 3 liberty and justice which are the com- ; raon and sacred cause of the Allies." -In doing-so the Mayor reviewed the } events that had led up to the present i conflict m Europe. He described in graphic language how after declaring i war upon France, Germany violated the j neutrality of Belgium, and perpetrated the greatest atrocities on the defence- .. less inhabitants of that country that r {^"OP 0 had ever heard of, and ■ how > Britain had 'been drawn into the con- , tfjct m defence of a small nation. He painted a vivid picture of the atrocities _ committed by the Germans, the de- ( .strucuon oi unfortified cities the illtreatment of the inhabitants,'the Zen- , pehn raids on defenceless towns the submarine' warfare, and the sinking of ■~he Lusitama and other rnwhsvvt yes .sels,. all of which he said %,<& Allies to understand that they were uu a^uiat a relentless foe that was.goi,^ i 0 ught to the death. He showed how England - became anmsed, how Lord K-'M^n>- • the war bram of the nation, hul't im a vast army, and with the aid of Mr Lloyd George and others, converted oyery factory, in England into a munitions factory in order to supply the army with an unlimited supply of munitions. He spoke of the tremendous successes achieved by the Russian ar--1 "il^ a* tJle commencement of tho war ._ or their sudden collapse owincr to the shortage of guns and ammunition, and their ultimate recover- A « il".' T" 3 fects war~ „«„ i? -s y wn6& those- dec *S* 1? * remedied. At the end of Lfi 6 1^ th™Zs did look well . £i we Alhes, but now the Allied , Powers .appeared to have the Central ■ wi t r r"i^f a T^H B?*' the Russians , »inland Gakcia, the Italians were 4 pusning tho Austrians back, the French * lY ere T .h. ol. di 118 Germans at Verdun the British and French were makino- a ! sure and steady advance on the West- ; crn front, and the British Fleet still ■ a ? e "vV- ares- Tiiat was the cvi- . dence that we were winning the war ;It was going- to be a long, slow process! , but we would have to keep on keeping on until we crushed a relentless foe! , (Applause.) ; ,Cr. Hampson, who followed, said that ; v/nen England took up the cudgels for iitt'e .beigium two years ago it was ; recognised that it was uoi:i> to be a groat struggle. We thoi-ght' wewere . pitted a ff auisfc a nation- of gentlemen, but events snowed that we were %btmg a nation of .barbarians. No sava<« nation could havo fought with more devilry, and savagery than those we were fighting against. (Hear, hear.) Ino war had brought about the unification or an j-jnpire determined to- fi^ht to. & finish. (Hear, hear.) The mir-aerers-and nlbductors of women aia cniidrtii were not soldiers, but criminals, and should he treated its such (Hear, -hear.) There must be no "tir.«d reeling until there w.< lS an honourable peace and justice was dono to thooo' who had been-so grossly wronged. J Applause.) He said they must have oeen stirred by the wonderful deeds done by our 1.-o\s at tiie front and concluded by reading Mr Philhj Gihb.s's vivid description <■:"". Insr rrujntir's Halting published i:i ; :'-r,>r«-;a ;.; <-::i)!.--s. ''If nece-ssany1 !m! .uldoci," "-,vc- mu<t fight to tin- h-s: .-.l::!!:>vj-, ovor> if wv have to go ir.t-.j tlu- Ivi-ch-^ cursives." , (Applause.) IMr J. S. Evans, S.M.. sfti-.i :'I havrbeen asked tosecoiiLl'this resolution. :-nd Ildo so most heartily. When the'time I comes for you to carry it you will do jso with all the force Y.r.d 'vigour and! vim of which you are capable. But 1 wish to ror.nna you that this is a time for as-tion, for deeds, not words. Yoiii; duty is r ■': done whon you throw youi' hats in the air and shout 'Hurrah!' The nation dennnds deeds and action. Men are wanted, money is wanted to carry the resolution into effect. lilen j are coming forward. Nelson is inelin?d to pride herself on the men site has sent. But Nelson has not 'sent' any men. They have gone, they are going themselves willingly. .If anyone has' •?ent them it is their dependents and j loved ones. You all know, or should j know, that we have been carrying on as scheme to raise money for.themen who are going and their dependents. (A j laugh.) Don't laugh yet: this is not a| I laughing matter. Did you notice in! Paddy's Market some mothers whose1 sons are to-night in tho firing-line? Their. mothers were there doing their duty with 'brave smiling faces, and their hearts in the trenches 'somewhere in France.' Ask these splendid women if they would have their sons home tonight, and everyone of them would say, 'No! Not so long as those 25,0001 French women are in the hands of the ! Ger-rm.n butchers/ Did you notice not. a tc-w jvur brides amongst the workers j—your young women who .have married | their lovers and sent them to the battle? Ask them if they would recall their husbands to-night ?" Their answer u-culd be 'Xo! Xot till those 25,000 j women and all other women, the vic•ci:na of German brutality, have beer, avenged.' It is for these women we are asking this money. You will have seen a list in the papers for some time past of those who have given £25 and j upwards. Have you noticed that this {list is contained in one column of the {newspapers? If you count the names land add up the'amounts you will iind I there are 105 subscribers/and tbsit they j t\« gu hi It ihc imount < oiler ted j pr" \mp I'uirn oi _»5 000 JCo hay I> i i!i It t1 c mru ni.' i> tint, lik f _ vi m to bt pioiul oi — *^l s i \ho p1 idi s hei^oli on the men -> 7 c -,( li is -,om«. thniL, +oi tie 1 ) >>c [ loucl of, but np.e <ire some I' o i ''k "Oi uned of it It his all > ilk intent on of tht I\ccu t c 1 ili] *.'> L he 'i'-t of siralhi stlu[■."nh - Thi\ mb'islcd the £2") list iio pui|jOM T'ki list d v' o nis w 11 i )llo\ On that list oj vii r-i\{ n inu >oi j)< ion who ha\ j I mad to c But nakh ""he list icdjeru ii ioi \ou mi, be at [t 1 c -iv > \ou \ I 1 find on it and not tit L2~) list Sin it carcfulh, me! <\ v rr, x >,o su pii^ed it tho nanas tha+ tit "o t!) il \t all which could <v sih h i. ■» 'in ti iv tl c £2^5 li t ' \ oiec '^uppo^( ioito of xis can't Mr fans \h len^iks aie not ad elu->m dto tho^e who cannot give No in i'! «ho c innot gi\ c i& ejected to ig ie M\ lenrmks uf .tddrc-sed to t rot \ilio cm l,i\( ard >\oa x, 11 eie ire mnduds wlio hi-ie noik^d and guen and done nobh But do \ou t«ll mo taat Ko3 mmes exhausts the list oi :ho a e nho could give £25? One co vi ti oi ytlu newspaper contains the^i ivd one rolnmn of the ne»\spap^r-. i-> oft< n reouneel now for the upiU b-,z oi killed and wounded Men aad money aie nant«d Think these faebs o-ver, ana let each ask, 'Haie I

done my duty?.' Mr.McKenna, when . • speaking from his place in the House of Commons at Home recently, said, lExtraivaganc^ and waste is treason, and indifference is a crime.' .If this be so, and it is, what of those who ignore their duty or oppose for paltry reasons the attempt to raise money for our gallant defenders? The word/to describe them ' is not coined. If ix is I cannot use it - here. Nelson may be proud of the fact that so many of her sons have gone willingly, but let Nelson not pride herself on the men she has 'sent.' She has sent none. Let her pride herself rather on what she is doing and going to do for our defenders. Action is needed, not words."

The motion was then put and unanimously carried by a show of Hands, amidst prolonged applause. Cheers were given for the King and for. our. boys---at the front, and the gathering concluded with. the singing of .the National' Anthem-