South Africa and the Transvaal War, Vol. 4 (of 8): From Lord Roberts' Entry into the Free State to the Battle of Karree — John Shaqi
South Africa and the Transvaal War, Vol. 4 (of 8): From Lord Roberts' Entry into the Free State to the Battle of KarreeCreswicke, Louis
History
South Africa and the Transvaal War, Vol. 4 (of 8): From Lord Roberts' Entry into the Free State to the Battle of Karree
Creswicke, Louis
South African War, 1899-1902; Transvaal (South Africa) -- History
The country, he insisted, had a right to know if there was adequate
information given to the Government before the crisis of the Transvaal
affair, or even sufficient to guide them in their diplomacy or their
negotiation. "That is a point which the nation will insist on knowing,
whether in this House or the other. If you had not sufficient
information, dismiss your Intelligence Department, dismiss Mr. Conyngham
Greene and your consular agents wherever they had touch with this
matter--at Lourenço Marques or elsewhere. If you did know of it, you
have a heavy responsibility to bear. The noble Marquis asks, 'How could
we see through a deal board?' I suppose he meant by that to allude to
the pianoforte cases in which, with more knowledge than he gave himself
credit for, he unofficially states that the ammunition was brought into
Pretoria."
Passing on to the question of Secret Service money, he declared that the
Government was in possession of a very commanding majority in the House,
and that if they had the responsibility of Government they were bound to
ask for what funds, whether Secret Service or other, which they might
think necessary for the safety of the Empire.
"They cannot," he pursued, "devolve that responsibility on
others by speaking of the working of the British Constitution.
I ask noble Lords to analyse the speech of the noble Marquis,
which is still ringing in their ears. It is the speech of a
Minister explaining a disastrous position. He practically has
only given two explanations of that situation. They are, first,
that the Government had not enough Secret Service money to
obtain information, and, secondly, the mysterious working of
the British Constitution. I suppose that there are foreign
representatives in the gallery listening to this debate, and I
suppose that the speech of the Prime Minister will be flashed
to-night all over Europe, and Europe, which is watching with a
keen and not a benevolent interest the proceedings of our
armies in South Africa, will learn that the causes of our
disasters are one avoidable and the other inevitable. The
avoidable one is the inadequate amount of the Secret Service
Fund, and the inevitable one the secular working of the British
Constitution."
Leaving the question of unpreparedness, he came to the great point, and
asked what the Government intended to do.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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