The Sentinel=record., 1914-04-01
ASQUITH IS NOT
 TO ENTER DEBATE
ANNOUNCES THAT HE WILL Dl- RECT THE FIGHT IN HOME
 RULE MATTER HOWEVER.
Stated That an Entire Reorganiza- ton of the British Army Is an lm- mediate Necessity.

many solutions of the government crisis, which had been proposed and discussed Premier Asquith announc- ed solution to the house of com mons today which none of the pro- phets had suspected and even eX- pected. The prime minister himself will assume the burden of the war office in addition 10 his other and almost crushing duties. He will re- sign from the house at this critical stage when the second reading of the home rule bill is about to be taken up and will appeal for re-elec- ton to his constituents in east Fife, Scotland within a few days.
 One side charges of a plot to se- duce the army and on the other side a plot to crush the Ulster covenant CTS were met with denials and count CT and heated personalities in the house today.
 No member of the irish national ists party, of which John E. Redmond Is the head uttered word in the house The lrishmen are letting the English fight it out alone. Premier Asquith Viscount, Morley, Col. Seeley and Gen. French and Gen. Ewart, all visited the king during the day.
 Field Marshal Sir john French. chief of the imperial general staff, and Gen. Sir John Ewart, adjulant general declined to withdraw their resienations in spite of the army or der issued Friday which Viscount Haldane framed as a platform on which the generals might stand with consistency
 1t thus became impossible for Col J. D. B. Seeley who was coslgner with them of the assurances to Brig. Gen. Cough that the army would not be used to suppress the Ulster op- position to home rule to retain the secretaryship of war His resigna- tion therefore was accepted after he had been for some days under fire from the newspapers of his own party which insisted that he must go.
 Niscount Morley of Blackburn, Lord President of the counsel, who was partner with Col. Seeley in draft ing the offending paragraphs of the document, stands ir the same posi- tion and his withdrawal from office is expected tomorrow.
 These were the events in today's chatper of the continued story which is keeping the country at the highest pitch of excitement and suspense. The present situation is remarkable in that the government nominally will be without a prime minister and without leader in the house of com. mons until the bye-election, is held in east Fife. The writ for the cleo, tion must give eight uays notice and probably will be issued tomorrow.
 The only practical loss to the party meantime will be the withdrawal of Mir Asquith's voice from the debates. We will preside over the cabinet meetings and direct manuevers in the house of commons from an un- official seat while Reginald McKenna, the home secretary, and Winston Spencer Churchill. first lord of the admiralty, will understudy him as house leader.
 "Oh, I'll be handy if I'm wanted, ," MT. Asquith remarked to Andrew iBoaar Law, the opposition leader, who thought that the home rule Dill could not be proceeded With in the absence of the premier.
 Mir Asquith apparently consulted no one except the King before his 'sold decision. His colleagues in the ,cabinet seemed to be as surprised as the other memebrs of the house when he revealed his plans Mir. As. quith is already first lord of the treasury, which office he will con tinue to hold If he had merely shift ed from one office Go another the res ' igTation of his seat in the house of commons would not nave been neces- sary, but he said he had legally ad. vised that ahe acceptance of "an of- flee of profit under the crown" in the words of the statute. neeessitated a new election, although he will take only one salary, 5000.
 Gladstone took Two offices under similar circumstances, accepting the salary of one and hall Hhe salary of the other, amounting to $37500, and did mot consider a re e-election neces- sary.
 TAe political seers gather that MT Asquith is in a fighting mood. They have been saying recently that he had shown the effects in his physical df the heavy strain of his long habor in office and would gladly see the government defeated. Bur it looks at the present moment as though he had taken new lease Of life and proposes to nfake the reor ganization of the army fighting ls, sue.
 ''fhe whole army system may have to be recast, Col. Seely remarked. significantly today The first busi- ness will be to find a successor for Sir John French, whose withdrawal leaves great void at the war office. The name or Gen. Sir Jan Hamilton is discussed the most, Gen. Hamilton holds the position of inspector of the