Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1915-06-24
French TIRED OF
D|LATORY TACTICS
OF ENGLISH ALLY.
British Boasts Big But Battles
Small, They Say, While Re-
publican Troops Do Most
Of the Fighting.
sRIToNs MUST GET BUSY
Naval Support Good But Land
Operations Negligible-Aid
Needed Now to Break
German Line.
BRlT0Ns MUST GET BUSY
BY PAUL SCOTT MowRER.

BY PAUL SCOTT MoWRER.
Special Correspondence of the ChicaY
Daily News and st. Paul Dispatch.)
Fafis. Jcne 24.--rhe British cabin t
>risis. with the attendant criticism Of
the British war policy by the British
themselves offers me an opportunity
20 express certain opinions regarding
:he role of the English in the present
struggle. This role. except at sea, has
peen from the first minor one The
war on this front has been a Franco
German war
l sincerely believe that if neither the
Belgian nor the British armies had
taken the field the results would have
been about the same. 1t is possible
that at the very beginning, while
France was still half paraiyzed with
surprise the Belgian defense of Liege
and the conduct of the British at Mons
did really seriously retard the Ger
mans march, but l doubt it,
Hold 31-Mile Front.
Since then. in any case, the part
played by the Belgians and British,
while certainly brave. has been of
1early 900 miles long, the Belgians to-
& lay occupy 17h miles, the British BIZ
miles. The French not only hold all
The rest, but they have more than
once been obliged to support both their
allies with troops and artillery. AS
here is no lack Of reserves in the
french depots. it would at any time
AXE over the entire front. And there
(. 8 no reason to suppose that points
neld by the French are weaker than
points held by the British and Bel
sians; quite the contrary.
Sentiment Aroused.
I know that In making these state
q sl1pnts So am liah To nf tsnd m per =
stss6tIH. Hitherto when have even SO
Z much as limited at these matters in
able dispatches the censor has shown
ais vigilance. But the arousing of the
more intelligent element in England to
realization of the fact that the show
ng of the British army Is small, out
of all proportion to the power of Brit
hin, liberates me. take it, to write
my own judgment.
Mons Story Untrue.
The story Of how the British fought
he whole German army at Mons went
all around the world. But In truth
the British did nothing of the sort.
y have been at some pains to study
that opening campaign. The battle
which the English press christened
Muelhausen in Alsace to Mons in Bel
GUM. The number of French engaged
must have approached 100000 The
British had considerably less than
Allies Fairly Beaten.
The allies We're fairly beaten and
The resistance offered by the British
French corps. There We're French
.roops still fighting on the Sambre. out
lanked and exhausted. after the Brit
sh has begun to retreat. The rear
guard stand of the British at Land
.ecies and LIE Chateau was merely
similar to the stand of the French at
iuise. Signy FAbbaye, Novion Porcien
md half dozen other places 1t is
rue that to the British fell the difficult
ask of protecting the left flank of the
ong battle line. They should be cred
ted with having done so with honor
Paris Saved by French.
After the retreat the British army
vas reorganiZed back to Paris. There
a persistent story that when Joffre
announced to Sir John French his in
.ention to fight on the Marine the latter
.equested another days rest for his
men. But on Joffre's protest that there
Has not time. the British We're put into
position on north and south line
southeast of Paris, in the Crecy woods
Won Kluck, commanding the German
light, seems to have intended to strike
lard against the British with view to
.utting them and Paris off from the
main French army.
French Foil Won kiuck.
1t was not the British who foiled him
,ut General Maunoury with new
.'rench army north of Paris threa ten
ng his flank. Won Kluck skillfully
withdrew the two corps that were
marching against the British. He sue
.eeded in getting them back northward
II time to oppose Maunoury and save
himself.
TO the British he opposed merely a
screen of cavalry and artillery The
after naturally advanced. pivoting on
their left. in close touch with the forces
of Franchet d'Esperey. who was pivot
ing forward on his right, east of the
British. The French and British fel
upon Won Kluck's new left wing on the
Ourcd and forced him to swing back tt
the AiSne.
Only One Cog in Wheel.
The entire maneuver was successful
" executed. but 1t was only cog ir
he wheel of Joffres strategy The
heaviest fighting fell, not to the lot Of
he British. but to the French center
aeld by General Foch; to the French
eight center. held by General de Langlt
de Cary, and to the French right. helt
nlarveousy by Genera Sarrail whose
three corps sustained in the most diff
cult circumstances the assault of sew
an German corps
Nevertheless. the British press in
stantly claimed the Marine as British
victory. The world was told once NOR.
that the British had saved Paris.
Yet in, this battle the number of Ger
French 100000. and of British less than
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