We note with no small satisfaction the announcement, made is
a letter to the editor giving the date of the meeting to be held at the Queens Hall, that Sir Alfred Booth, one of our greatest business men and perhaps our ablest shipping adminis- trator, has, owing to his conviction of the needs of the hour, become President of the Strength of Britain Movement. Men like Sir Alfred Booth do not undertake such offices light- heartedly, or indeed on any other grounds than those of imperative public service. That he should have undertaken this fresh re- sponsibility is a sign that the work is of supreme national importance. And remember here that Sir Alfred cannot be dismissed as a teetotal crank. What he is out to do is to win the war. Therefore he can leave nothing undone which he feels may protect the country from the unspeakable humiliation that would fall on a nation which had to say : "The Germans could not ruin us in the field, but we ruined ourselves because we would not make the sacrifice involved in preferring bread to beer." " Rheto ric," " Exaggeration," " Fad- dism," "Fanatical Pig-headedness," will be the words with whiet our opponents would doubtless like to greet this view, but they are estopped from doing so. The view is not our private patent, but 'is implicit in the statements made by the Prime Minister. We hope, then, that all friends of the Strength of Britain Move- ment and of the Spectator's policy will support Sir Alfred Booth at the Queen's Hall meeting on March 22nd at 3.30 p.m.
Previous page
