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432..
It oomo Liberala vacillated before war broke oµ 4., they
were. certainly- on the defensive afterwards. L4 bouchero
attributed their apathy to a belief that the war would
be a Military promenade, - if they had realised its
long duration, they would have '! come out of their
ebello.
"
(1)
Liberals participated in the general
fooling that the immediate task was to bring the war
to an end; an the Star put it the day after. war broke
out, "They have a heavy indictment to bring against
the ministry in respect of its policy before the war.
But that indictment must be pigeonholed until the
war in over. " (2)
The Star later changed its mind
as to the advisability of criticizing the Government, but
the early Boor victories, while painting to the fact
that the war would last longer than oxpooted, made it
difficult for Liberals to move against the rise of
emotional patriotism without being regarded as traitors,
Tho National Liberal redorotion, whoso executive in
September had dinaceociatod the Liberal Party from
rr. rrýrwiýý r r-ýwrwýiwrýrrr+. ý. wirirýrý ý
(1) Campbell-Bannerman J13S. At D, RMS
, 41 t222 i Labouchero to
Cau pball,. Bnnnorman 22nd December 1899"
(2)
, tnr1 12th October 1899,