After a, good deal of unimportant discussion, Mr. Chamber- lain
made a very powerful speech. He pointed out that Russia and France are now spending between them every year two.and-a-half millions more on naval " construction " than we are spending, and are altering the relative power of their naval forces as compared with ours at that rate. He declared that as our Navy is our only real defence, the proper rule is to let all the Powers know that if they increase their navies, we shall increase ours in the same proportion, and then they will no longer engage in so useless a struggle. To this, Sir William Harcourt made the very imprudent reply, that "the more you build ships or increase your Navy, the more will the other side be led to do the same." But that is nonsense. Our Navy is our single real defence, and to keep that strong enough to hold the sea is a measure of mere defence. We do not pretend to compete with Continental armies; and for us naval supremacy is mere sober precaution. If England is to go on Sir William Harcourt's policy of not building, in order to assuage alarm abroad, the panic in England will grow as fast as the imperiousness of other naval Powers Sir William Harcourt gave a list of our battle-ships, which, as Mr. Goschen remarked, would have been more appropriate at the opening of the debate than at its close ; but he ignored the central question,—which is not one concerning our superiority now, but concerning the danger in the rapid decline of that superiority under the spasmodic efforts of France and Russia. Mr. Gladstone's majority was 36 (240 to 204). But not one Gladstonian expressed himself perfectly satisfied with the naval situation. In spite of their unanimity, the anxiety amongst the G-ladstonians is profound.
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