THE Waihi Daily Telegraph WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE WAIHI MINER TUESDAY, JULY 4, 1905

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume V, Issue 1369, 4 July 1905, Page 2

THE Waihi Daily Telegraph WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE WAIHI MINER

TUESDAY, JULY 4, 1905

Hero shall th» f rcsa tho f ooplo'o liivbt maintain Uiiftwed by influonoti and uakibod by s»in j : Horo patriot Truth <!9 ifloHous proccpt3 dra* , Pledrod to Religion Libnrfcr. »nd Law I

I IN our cable news yesterday then" appeared an item lo the effect lhaj the newspapers of India are almosj unanimously supporting the Viceroy! (Lord Curzon) in his dispute witll Lord Kitchener with respect to thd powers that should be held by thl Commander-in-Chief in India, anil that they are expressing the hopi] that the. Home Government will sol modify the prjposed changes in! army administration as to avert thoj resignation of Lord Onrzon. The quar rel between the two administrators) which has been going on with more or les3 severity for.some months, i* not of a personal nature, but involves an important question of government. In other words, tbo question is whether (he forces in India arc to be controlled by civil or military authority, The Home Government has practically decided in favour of Lord Kitchener, and Lord Curzon, the civil head, talks of resigning. Ho is reported to havo expressed his strong objection lo the reported change, basing his arguments on constitutional grounds; but the Government seems to have taken a firm stand, and now that tho wholo press of India aro protesting against the change, its future action will be noted with Interest. Writing' on the matter whilo it was before the Cabinet, the Spectator said:— understand that thin momentous issue, which in tho concrete is a struggle between Lord Curzon and Lord Kitohoner, though in the abstract between tho civil and military authority in India, is at tho present moment being considered by the Homo Government, and we therefore appeal to the Cabinet lo judge and decide tho matter, not merely upon the merits of this particular case, but on the essential principle invoivod." It is the opinion of most Home papers, as it is also, wo imagine, of most papers of the empire, that the only safe way of solving tho problem is to insist in the fullest sense i that civilian control in India, as at Homo and in those colonies, must bo supreme, and that the final responsibility for military as for civil affairs must bo borne by the civil head. It should not bo implied by this that any reflection is cast on the

great soMiers, or that civilians are wiser than soldier, but rather (bat military authority cannot besoparated from the general policy, and that-the general policy should always' be controlled by (he civil governmmil, What is wanted is tho best army for doing certain work al a certain price.' What the work is and what the price.is should only bo laid down by tho civil Kovernmont, which shapes the general policy, and dictates the work the array will have to do, and finds tho money. Tho Home Government have apparently endeavoured to smooth tho troubled waters by giving Lord Kitchener more'power than he had,-and yet not enough to seriously otTciul the civil head,vLord Cnizoii. Bin so far the comproxiso. has not been satis, factory, as shown by the indignation QtShecivil'head,-and i?ith • feeling rnilniiig high it will be of interest lo•find what the Government will next do fo placate tho rivals.