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[ IAUNCESTON, TAOIUMIA.3
PUBLISHED D.UAILY.
FRIDAY. MAY 19, 1910.
"AUSTRALIAN (WAR) ENTUSIA-L&M
IJ DEAD."
When we said a short time back that
the halting policy of the Federal Govern.
ment over keeping the promise to send
300,000 men from Auaralia, and the
'sinister opposition of Labour conferences
to national selvice, would hmariten the
Germans, we di~, not think our remarks
would be so andly verified in so short ia
time. Our cables to-day state i?at the
semi-official and perical newspDper "Ger
mania" hasl pulisthecd an articl. dealing
with' this matter. It states that 'at
the outset Australia, was woholo-rbertedly
on the side of the Empire. It believed
in the righteouseass of Britail'(s cause,
and feared that Germany worad em
broil Japan with Australia."' Now it
states that "AustrJ;lian enthutiasm is
dead, that recruiting has fallen to no
thing," and it quotes the remark of an
Adelaide member of Pa?dizment that
"Australia has discharged its debt to the
Emnpire.' It asserts that "it is proba:ble
a strong peace movement will arise in
Australia, wherewith London or the Bri.
tish Governoent must reckon." Here
are the cursed effects of the isretched
policy of the slacker coming lhome to
roost with a vengeance, and 'we enter
tain no doubt that ever-y anti?onserip.
ltion resolution passed sby Labour con
f\lrences will be quoted exu'ltantly by the
UAernmn IIpress as ifurtofn.er indication
tltat .australia is showsug the white
f'cther. and has had eno.ugh of the wax.
Tn-ougli tie mouth of, Mr. Andrew
Uishter. then Prime Minister, Australia
pllecied itself to back. the *Ermire in
beaa ng the Hun to t~e last man, and
the h tst shilling. By the vodluntary s.c
lion o f the lFeder.',l G.-nernment Austra
lia m? a pledged to raise another 50,000
men h y June in addition to reinforce-:
:ner its. Mr. Huglhes, the present 1'rime
3Mi nister, botisted in Canada that by the.
er Kl of neex. month Australia would have
: 10,000 mea under arms, and hardly were
the wormdf, out of his mouth than hit col
leagues 'nn Australia were availing them
selves od the withdrawal from Gallipoli
to find reans to avoid carrying out the
pledges given to the full, The Austra.
lian Prime Minister has been standing
on the same platform as Mr. Lloyd
Georal, who, atrons anti-militarist as
ihe was, and still is, has yet been one of.
the staunchest advocates of conscription
in England. Mr. Hughes has denounced
the German and all his works in the
strongest language at his commnuand. He
has advised us to root out every Germnin
business and industry in the Common
wealth, and yet his colleagues and their
leading supporters have imparted the
idea to the German press that Australia
has developed cold feet, that sha .is tired
of the war and the sacrifice it entails,
and that Australian influence will be
used to persuade the British Goternment'
to conclude an inglorious and. ignomini.
ous peace.
We are at war, and it is' a war for
our natkonal existence, for our British
liberties, and the freedom we enjoy in
:ustralia, and which we owe to the
anotlerland. We are at war. Tlho
oman who is ,not with us is against us,
and it is ti.neall loyal Australians recog
nised the fact. We draw little distine.
lion between those who, 'by their craven
actions and their cowardly words, buck
sup the courage' of the enemy and the
men who raised the standard of revolt in
Ireland. .It is only a question.of de.
gree. Indeed, the Sinn Feincrs had the
courage to back up thern convicrions at
the risk of their lives, while those m i
Australia who have been heartening the
enemy lack both reason and courage.
"Let us have common sense," said Sena.
tor Pearce, the Actusg Prime Minister,,a.
few weeks ago. En?atly; but whlere os
the common soles lt adopting a policy
which encourages the-foe 'to continue re.
sistsnce, in hope -of ti~ing us Australians
out? If we believe in the righteousness
of our cause, if we are convinced that
German dominion would be a menace
and a danger, if' we would avoid in Aus.
tralia a repetitna of the frightfulness
which indellibly .stained the German
namse in Belgium, theon every energy of
which we arescapalio should be put forth
to beat the Hun. There should be no
halting, no. hesitation, no hanging back
or quibbling or quarrelling over which
manl or class of men is to do the most
or least. Those who by their actions
or words ecomorage the enemy to con
tinue or, it may be,.redouble their efforts
are allies of the THun. They are not
loyal supporters.of the Eplire.
Brave Austral.}4ns are still volunteer.
iig for national service, although their
nuinbers are beSgoring fewer each week,
and the effects of the weakness of the
Federal Governmentnaud the opposition of
labour congresses tare becoming more
ananifest. To-molrpew we will welcome
to our city and "GOewspeed" a Tasmanian
battalion on'the eao,'of its way to the,i
front. They are leasving all home ties,
they are taking thlsgprome risk. What
for? It Is to bedt the Hun, and not
to conclude a peace by which all the
misery, sacriflce, and puffering which the
war has entailed will have to be under.
gone over Agaln by the next generation.
Yet, from the tone of the article in
the German newspaper, which we have
quoted, there are those in Australia who
are helpng tihe enemy and inducihg him
to turn out, more guns, to make more
shells wherewith to sconrge ouir bravo.
lads. The ."GCrmania's" artieie will' ?i'
circulated 'throughout Germany. It
will be 'resel and believed by tens ofr
thousands, and they will come to the
conclusion that they have only to sit"!
tight and -mnake a greater effort to force'I
a peace sl their own terms. -.Of coursie,!
we know that this is not the proper 7
view. and that tihe cold-footed brigade
iii Ausirali: does, not represenit.the voicd f
of the peohlun of the Cominonwealtlh; butt
the Gernnas do not know it. Thmey will
be only too gbd to believe an. d magnifys
everything of the sort, and those who
will seuffer 'will.noot be the men whlo are
responsible for tile calumny, but ti? ment
who, of their own free will, have cour
ageously gone to the front.
. In the "G-erlmraia" article we have the
first fruits of the. indecision aid l4ilting
policy of the Federal Government. As
a people we have gone down in thel esti
F-ation of the eneamny, who cvident'7 be
lieve that we lack the determination, en
dua'ncce, and dloggpdines, as well as the
pluck, of the race from whicil we sprung.
The longer the indecision lasts, the' more
resolutions against putting forth our
full strengtif which are liassed, the
stronger will 'be the belief of our enemies
that we hlave about had enough of it.
W.Vu may cheer the 40th lion Ito o
?cltrrow, but if the cheers are to be
ga.isise we should more effectivs,'ly shonw
thbIe we resenot the estirmte of the cGer
muIn iewspaper by stronger d'mnonstra.
tions in favoar of national service.
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