A Short History of English Liberalism Part 23

[370] For a nave and illuminating statement of the militant women's case see _The Suffragette_, by Sylvia Pankhurst; and for a fuller statement of my own opinions, my _Emanc.i.p.ation of English Women_ (1913 edition). For the case against Mr. Churchill see the pamphlet _Treatment of the Women's Deputations by the Metropolitan Police_ (The Woman's Press, 1911). See also my pamphlet _Political Prisoners_ (National Political League, 1912). During the London Dock strike of 1912 charges similar to those above mentioned were made against the police. Mr. McKenna granted a public inquiry at once.

[371] No Liberal questions Sir Edward Grey's honesty or good will. His record in connection with Woman's Suffrage, no bad touchstone, is conspicuously pure.

[372] The action of Austria in establishing formal sovereignty over Bosnia and Herzegovina was not such a gross violation of moral rules as it appears at first sight. Austria had been in occupation of these territories, with European sanction, for more than a generation, and there is no question that they had been well governed. It was only in taking advantage of the revolution in Turkey, without obtaining the formal consent of the Powers, that she acted immorally.

[373] It should be remembered that the whole of the Foreign Service is recruited from among people with minimum incomes of 400 a year. This ensures a Tory bias among permanent officials.

[374] There is great need of a history of foreign policy which shall trace in a satisfactory way the various currents which have brought us to our present situation. For the present we have to rely on detached studies like Mr. E. D. Morel's _Morocco in Diplomacy_, Mr. E. H. Perris's _Our Foreign Policy and Sir Edward Grey's Failure_, Mr. J. A. Spender's pamphlet reprinted from the _Westminster Gazette_, Mr. Morgan Shuster's _Strangling of Persia_, Professor E. G. Browne's pamphlets on the same subject, and the Hon. George Peel's _Friends of England_, _Enemies of England_, and _Future of England_. There is no general historical survey, and until there is, foreign policy will remain as much the monopoly of a caste as ancient legal systems. It is time that this mysterification of such important affairs was ended. At this moment (February, 1913), though the French Government has published a huge Yellow Book on the Morocco crisis, Sir Edward Grey still refuses to the English people any explanation of the reason why he nearly led them into war eighteen months ago.

[375] An article in the _Times_ of the 15th March, 1913 seems to endorse all our Liberal protests and criticisms.

[376] See, for example, the article by Mr. Sydney Brooks in the _Fortnightly Review_ for January, 1913. The suggestion was also made in a leading article in the _Daily Telegraph_, the date of which I forget.