Wairarapa Daily Times [Established Third of a Century.] TUESDAY, JANUARY 20, 1914. CIVIL WAR AND THE ARMY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LXVI, Issue 11883, 20 January 1914, Page 4

Wairarapa Daily Times [Established Third of a Century.] TUESDAY, JANUARY 20, 1914. CIVIL WAR AND THE ARMY.

An interesting discussion is going on at Home at the present time concerning the effect upon the Army of an outbreak of civil war, should such occur, in Ulster as the result of the final enactment of the Home Rule Bill. The evil of civil war is admittedly great, but still greater would undoubtedly be disaffection in the army, upon which the maintenance of law and order ultimately of course depends, and unhappily there appears to be some ground for the suspicion that this is not a remote contingency. It is an open secret that though the majority of officers will no doubt be willing, without further demur or inquiry, to obey those competent to give them orders, there also will be a considerable number of officers who, when confronted with the possibility of having to give the word of command to kill men wl\0 ) they think, are in the right, will at once resign their commissions. There will clearly be officers of all grades prepared to do this, from tho most junior subaltern to tho most senior field-marshal. What is the Government going to do about such resignations? If they accept them they may no doubt be able to plead a precedent. Tho "Spectator" recalls the fact that thero was a tacit agreement during the War of American Independence that tho Whig officers, i.e., members of families who were opposed j

to the war in principle, should be allowed to resign their commissions rather than shed the blood of the American colonists. At any rate, such resignations were frequent for that cause, and were always accepted. But though the decision to accept resignations would get the Government out of many difficulties, it would be bound to have a strongly stimulating effect upon the pro-Ulster movement in the Army. No doubt most officers would hate the idea of abandoning their profession, but in tho circumstances they would probably feel that if.the Government's policy of coercing Ulster proved a failure, and if it were ultimately condemned at a general election and the Unionists came into power, the Unionists would reinstate tho officers who had refused to shed tho blood of the Ulstermen. Remember, tho declaration on tho part of Unionists that, if there is no general election previous to coercion, they will support those who are technically guilty of rebellion in Ulster is bound to have a tremendous effect and to make men, as it were, speculate upon tho chance that tho Unionists are going to win and tho country to condemn those who provoked civil war in Ulster in tho name of the right of local selfgovernment. But an even greater difficulty will soon bo apparent unless the Government is to be untrue to every principle of democracy. If they accept resignations from officers on political grounds they must accept them also from non-commissioned officers and from privates. And here all the evidence shows that it is not merely a section of the officers but also a section of non-commissioned officers and men who loathe and detest the idea of shooting down Ulster Protestants. But if non-commissioned officers and men are allowed to resign, what a vista of anarchy is opened before us! The "Spectator" is of the opinion that under these circumstances the Government will probably decide against allowing resignations by officers. It is stated, indeed, that unless rumour misrepresents them, they have already come to that decision. But what does this mean? It is quito certain that a great many officers, aud especially those who are connected with Ulster families—and there are many of them —will determine at all costs not to serve. If their resignations are not accepted, the more hotheaded of them will undoubtedly absent themselves from their duties. "Then," says the "Spectator," "it seems to us that the Government, having chosen a path so dangerous, will either be forced to go to the full extremity, and arrest, try by court-mar-tial, and execute the officers who have disobeyed military orders, or else cut the sorriest of figures before tho nation. If they are not prepared to shoot the first four or five officers who disobey, if, that is they weakly allow the officers to ignore the refusal by the Army Council to accept resignations, and so disobedience, is seen to have no serious consequences, it will be followed wholesale." It is suggested that the Government would not, of course, go to the extremity of shooting mutinous officers, but would merely place them under arrest without, bringing them to trial. But here the question arises .as to whether the Government would be able to fill the military prisons for months with generals, colonels, captains and lieutenants. If only ten per cent —said to be a low estimate—of the officers in the country resign, the numbers would be very large. Even at this eleventh hour it is earnestly hoped by everybody that civil war may be averted, but it is obvious that if it is not, the Government will be faced with a most difficult problem in the attitude of the Army.