Mr. Asquith's speech made a profound impression on the House.
It will be seen that the Government were entirely misinformed as to the intentions of Germany. They talked of security when they did not know what was really happening. We have written about the whole subject elsewhere, and will only say here that though on the whole Mr. Asquith performed a difficult task with a sincerity and dignity worthy of our boat traditions, he made a very great mistake in announcing that Germany had declared she she was not going to accelerate her programme in the future. What was the use of dwelling on this declaration when, as he himself admitted, it has no binding force whatever P The Prime Minister, we are sure, does not want to drug the publics once more into a condition of false security. Yet his allusion to German professions could only have that effect, or else no effect whatever.
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