LITERARY WORK, ETC. 223 



In 1904 I wrote a short letter on the " Inefficiency of 

 Strikes " for the Labour Annual, and a rather long one to the 

 Clarion, suggesting a policy for Socialists in opposition to con- 

 tinued military expenditure as advocated by Robert Blatch- 

 ford; but this was, I fear, too much advanced even for the 

 readers of this very advanced paper, since no one came forward 

 in my support. I feel sure, however, that there are many who, 

 when it is clearly put before them, will approve of the policy 

 I have sketched out, since it is merely one of justice and con- 

 sideration for nations as well as for individuals — of adopting 

 the same rules of right and wrong in the one case as in the 

 other. The letter may be termed — 



A Substitute for Militarism. 



I will first say a few words on the, to me, extraordinary statement 

 that, though fifty years of continuously increasing expenditure on our 

 national defences has resulted in " an inadequate and imperfect " out- 

 come, and what a military writer in the July Nineteenth Century 

 called " our pitiable military situation," yet, only give to our rulers 

 unlimited money and conscription, and our defences will instantly 

 become " adequate and efficient." With all respect, this seems to me 

 nothing less than pure delusion. One government after another has 

 had a free hand to reform our military and naval forces, and all have 

 utterly failed. They have wasted countless millions with no adequate 

 result. And now we are asked to give them more millions to waste, 

 and the very same body of official rulers and organizers and titled 

 officers will suddenly be imbued with wisdom, unselfishness, and 

 economy, and all will be well. Our defences, as by a miracle, will 

 become " adequate and efficient." For what has to be done must be 

 done at once. Germany, we are told, is ready; we are not. There- 

 fore the money and the men must be given to the Government now. 

 To any such proposal I venture to hope that, by an overwhelming 

 majority, the Socialist and Labour parties will reply in the now historic 

 words : " Never again." 



But this is only preliminary. We will now come to the real issue. 

 Robert Blatchford proceeds to ask a number of questions, and to offer 

 a number of alternatives, as if they were exhaustive and there was 

 nothing more to be said or done. Shall we leave the Empire defence- 

 less? Shall we abandon our country and our colonies to the invasion 

 of any power that cared to take them? Russia covets India. We 

 must either defend India or surrender it to Russia. If we made India 

 a self-governing nation, the result would be civil war and a Russian 

 conquest. More than one foreign power envies us our possessions. 



