The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-03-27
ARMY PROBLEM
YET UNS0LvEO
Premier Asquith Has Not Made
the Statement He ~
s,5s@ ; Has Prom
ised.
IS POSTPONED ;AeA1'
Colonel seely is Willing to Shoulder
the Entire Responsibility
for the Cough
Treaty.

ASSSSN =
!. LONDON. March 27-When the
house of commons convened today
Premier Asquith had still failed 10
solve the problem of meeting the Sec
ond crisis faced by his cabinet With
in a week. At that hour Field Mar
shall Sir John French, chief of the
general staff, and Adjutant General
Sir John Spencer Ewart were stand
| ing firm in their determination to
retire from the service as result
of the governments reputation of the
note they initiated with War Minis
ter Seely assuring General Cough his
command. would not be forced to
+, serve in Ulster.
! The statement which the premier
!. has promised to make the house OF
commons as to the commanding or
ficers was prepared for third time.
| It. was expected last night but was
Il put over until today. When the COM
mons convened the cabinet was still
! III session.
! It was then said the Asqu1tlI state
ment might be expected shortly after
neon, but announcement was made
that it had been postponed until 5
O'Clock.
Asquith called special meeting OF
! the cabinet early today to again take
Iup the designations OF General Sir
John French and General Ewart.
Soon after the cabinet session open
ed, General French was Summoned.
| He declared that his resignation had
then been neither accepted nor with
drawn, and that he had every inten-
tion Of retiring.
There was a wide variety Of re-
ports in circulation as to the course
! the premier might take in meeting the
crisis. One report was that War
Secretary Seely would surely be sac
rificed in order to retain General
French After an extended session
the full cabinet meeting adjourned
and Colonel seely and General French
were left closeted with Asquith. 1t
was believed that upon this confer
ence hinges the outcome of the en-
tire affair. Colonel Seely showed his
willingness Wednesday to shoulder
entire responsibility for the Cough
! treaty. and a second submission of
! his resignation would not cause any
| surprise.
!; In the lobby of the house of COM
mons there was the liveliest specula-
ton as to whether the further post
ponement Of the Asquith statement
lforeshadowed the fall OF the cabinet.
The belief was expressed by many
that failure to bring about a settle
ment Of the new army tangle would
mean the dissolution of the cabinet.
That King George believes he has
been placed in a most delicate posi-
ton in the present conflict was clear
Ily indicated today. After confer
ences with Premier Asquith and Cen
eral French yesterday. his majesty
kept in close touch with the situation.
It was understood that 1t was at his
! request that Asquith and Colonel
Seely made their statements in the
house of commons absolving the king
from any interference in the original
difficulty with General Cough and
other Irish officers. As the king con-
suits Queen Mary on all matters. the
queen is said to be in high temper at
the turn Of events which resulted in
the outbursts against the throne.
/ How Premier Asquith expects to
emerge from the army tangle was as
much a matter Of speculation today
las yesterday. There were reports
that Colonel Seely might resign and
become colonial secretary with Lewis
Harcourt, now holding that portfolio
succeeding Seely. Other reports de
clared that John Burris, president OF
the local government board, might be
come the war secretary. A, all event,
lit was agreed that the government
stepped from one blunder into an
other when, after Colonel Seely de
clared he added two paragraphs tt
the cabinet document without the ap
proval of other ministers, giving Gen
eral Cough his Ulster guarantee, the
resignation of the war secretary wa:
not accepted.
George Bernard Shaw. socialist ant
playwright, declared King George tt
be syndicatist in an address before
la socialist meeting last night
Queen Victoria was a whig: Kins