FAMOUS POLITICIAN.

Waikato Times, Volume 116, Issue 19461, 28 December 1934, Page 2

FAMOUS POLITICIAN.

PEN PICTURES.

MUR CHURCHILL’S GREAT TIGHT. FOR THE NAVY. Lord Riddell’s new volume, “More Pages From My Diary: 1908-1914, is as vivid and interesting as ever, and is an indispensable guide to the personalities and politics of that uneasy’ period when England was moving towards the tragedy of the Great War. As to-day the strength of the British Air Force is the concern of the nation and should be the object of the anxious solicitude of its Government, so then a great struggle was proceeding in' the Liberal Cabinet over the British Navy. • We are shown in 1913 Sir Herbert Samuel and Sir John Simon “doing their utmost ‘to down’ Winston” (then First. Lord of the Admiralty), and Mr' Churchill making the fight of his fil'c for more Dreadnoughts and naval aircraft. Lord Riddell knew most of the politicians on both sides intimately and his pages arc full of their secrets aud of their obiter dicta. Mr Lloyd George. Mr Lloyd George, whose high spirits and abounding courage won him .the author’s peculiar admiration, describes many of his colleagues and adversaries in pithy phrases. Thus of Lord Morley he said that lie “is a great man but curiously touchy and proud”; of Mr Balfour, lliat “ he makes you feel that he believes he is a member of a superior class”; of Haldane, that “lie is more human than Grey. Grey is a fish-like person.” Lord Riddell tells us of Mr Lloyd George himself: “In is own opinion he is always right. If his schemes go wrong, tiie mishap is always due to negligence or malign influence for -which he is not responsible. . ; . He is always prepared to compromise, and is never cast down when beaten or when his plans go awry.” Mr Churchill figures , in’ the Diary as a most loyal and valiant, friend—- “ a charming companion, full of witty, amusing, unexpected sayings.” In the midst of his battle for the Navy lie told Lord Riddell: “ I think I know the English people. The old Cromwellian spirit, still survives. I 'believe I arn watched over. Think of the perils 1 have escaped."

Tho Balkan Crisis. Lord Riddell’s comment is: “Lloyd George . . . believes the same about himself. 'lf there is a row, it will be interesting to see which guardian angel Is the stronger!” Though in this struggle for an

adequate Navy Mr Lloyd George violently opposed Mr Churchill, he protested that “I am not a ‘little Navy 1 man. I don’t want to reduce the Navy. I only want reasonable economy." And he was himself anxious to increase the strength of the national defenoes. Thus in 1912, during the Balkan crisis of that year, “ talking of the Army, he said we ought to have a million men at call, and that Winston is too selfish for the Navy." But Mr Churchill, on his part, was quite aware of our military weakness ■and regarded it with extreme uneasiness. In 1913 he .told Lord Riddell ■i that if anything went wrong with tho Navy “ we should fall a fat and easy prey”; and said that he himself “ could not see his way to oppose a scheme for'National Service”—which | was then being violently denounced ; by his fellow Ministers. That trouble was coming was the goneral belief among the people in ■ the know. a There is a striking conversation between Lord Riddell and Bonar Law, then Leader of the Conservative Party, on the situation: “Ho said, ‘Asquith (then Prime Minister) is a wonderful man. He never seems to trouble about anything) At least, he never shows It.’ I said, ‘ He proceeds, on the principle that usually things work out right.’ f ‘Yes,’, said Bonar Law, ‘but there comes a time when they don’t.’ ” “ Let Them Resign.” It was shortly to be demonstrated . that “ wait and see ” was a -dangerous doctrine for a great nation in an age of almost unexampled tension. How grave the peril was Is revealed by a statement which Mr Churchill . made to Lord Riddell in January, 1914. when the Liberal Party was de- . mandlng that the Navy Estimates i should be cut down. " The chief point now relates to ships in commission in home waters. \Ye have 29 and the Germans 22. I cannot reduce the number. Lloyd George is accustomed to deal with people who can be bluffed and frightened, but I am not to ho bluffed or frightened! lie says that some of the Cabinet will resign. Let them resign!" Finally Mr Churchill and tho Navy won, but he had to see the estimates reduced by £1,000,000, and the naval manoeuvres given up. As the world knows, a test mobilisation in July was substituted for , nic manoeuvres, and thus it was that, when the great catastrophe came, the British Navy was in a quite remarkable state of readiness. The Providence which watches over drunkards must sometimes safeguard democracies. We arc told the inner history of the Curragh eplsodo in March, 1914, when General Gough and so many Army officers in Ireland resigned, in the belief that the Government was going to use British troops to dragoon Ulster. “ Lost Thoir Nerve."

We find Sir John French, then (thief of the Staff, telling Colonel Seely, then Secretary for War, “ ‘ unless you get tiiese officers back tomorrow night you will have no army.’ Seely had talked about court-mar-lialHng Cough and those who acted with him.” The truth was that the Government, after determining to take action, *• lost their nerve ’’ and ran away, leaving Colonel Seely In the cart. Ft, only remains to be said that Lord Riddell, with this volume as with the two already published—both among the ‘‘best sellers" of the day—is munificently giving the profits to the Newspaper Press Fund.