Mr. Balfour in his reply had little difficulty in showing
the absurdity of the pleas raised against our defensive expenditure. Specially good was his chaff of the Member who had suggested that we only armed for purposes of aggression. "He thinks that every nation in the world is pacific and unaggressive except one, and that is ourselves. If we abstain from aggres- sion he says that no other nation will attack us. It is only the immoral inhabitants of this country who are capable of making any assaults on our neighbours' property and territory. According to this view, "the manifold temptations offered by defenceless shores or a rich commerce will never prove too much for the virtue of our neighbours in other lands!' Probably this was the best way to treat the speeches of the mover and seconder of the Motion, for there was little or no substantial argument to be found in their remarks.
Previous page
