THE ARMY AND ULSTER.
Si,—You endorse the last sentence of Colonel White's letter which appears in your last issue "If unfortunately it comes to the worst, the Army nitwit obey; it has no option in the matter ; but the responsibility and the blame will not be theirs." No doubt officers will do their duty, but it will be no easy matter for them to determine what their duty is. The legal position was explained by the present Lord Chancellor (then Mr. Haldane) in his evidence before a Select Committee on the employment of the military in case of disturbance :—
"The situation is that while the military commanding officer will, of course, attach the utmost weight to the civil authority, who is prima fads the best judge both of fact and law, he will remember that he is acting at his peril; and if he forms in his own mind a clear reason for dissenting from what he is told to do he will act on it, but he will remember that there also he is acting at his periL"—(Times, September 18th, 1911.) - It is plain, therefore, that "theirs not to reason why" is no formula for officers in such cases. They have to judge whether the orders given to them are lawful orders, and whether the action required of them is advisable in the circumstances—I am, Sir, Re., E. M. LLOYD, Colonel.
Sutton.
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