New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-06-27
FRENCH SLATED
FORRETIREMENT
IS PARIS RUMOR
Blamed for InactiOn and
Heavy Losses Among
Troops at Front.
ASQUITH SOUGHT
TO AVERT BREAK
Went to France to Make Final
Appeal, but Commander
Was Obdurate.

Paris, June II correspondence Of
The Tribune) Field Marshal Sir John
French, the much praised commander
of the British army around fpres, Is
,,kely soon TO find himself kicked up
stairs and out of the way, following
the recent precedent in Lord Kitchen
er's case, according to reports from the
front. Following the British custom,
it is predicted that there will be as
little scandal as possible and that 1t
will be postponed till the last possible
moment, but an announcement is eX-
pected shortly that Sir Johns health
has given way and that he has received
the Order of the Garter, or some sini-
lar honor, and retired to England.
Every effort, it is reported, has been
made to prevent this. Though England
has been fuming for weeks over The
failure of French to start the prom
ised Spring drive" and though there
have been bitter complaints over the
increasing list of casualties and utter
absence Of results. the government has
exerted itself in many ways to smooth
over the troubles that have been brew
ing at Staff Headquarters md to SET
the machinery in motion. Only recent-
ly. while the fate of his Cabinet was
still trembling in the balance, Premier
Asquth went to France, ostenslbly to
visit the trenches, but really, il is
understood, TO make final appeal to
French. That appeal, it is now known,
failed, and it is declared the crisis can
not be long delayed.
Dissatisfaction at Front.
As a matter of fact, the disorganiza-
ton, factionalism and "every man for
himself" attitude which has prevented
the sending of adequate supplies from
England, forced crisis in the Cabinet
and now is showing itself in the bitLer
fight against Lloyd Georges efforts to
get the factories to work, is fully re.
fected at the front Not only in France,
but at the Dardanelles, the trouble has
been felt, and there are whispers that
Sir Ian Hamilton, the commander on
Gallipoli, will soon be called on TO ex-
plain why the death roll has been so
heavy and progress so slight.
But il is in France that the situation
is most critical. There, it is known,
French has at his command three
quarters Of million men TO guard a
front of only thirty-one miles. Op-
posed to him have been, most of the
time, few troops and those Of poor
quality. He has the accumulation of a
winters production of munitions-and
yet the Germans have not been seri-
ously attacked, and since spring opened
the British forces have lost rather
than gained ground.
The first sign of the real condition
! of affairs came with the attempt 10 put
the blame for this on Kitchener-an
attempt which, il is charged, originated
with General French, and, it is limited.
was inspired by Lloyd George. 1t was
openly handle by Lord Northcliffe.
| The charges that the supply of shells
was inadequate were made good, and
Lloyd George was put in charge of the
| task of providing them. but the trouble
was not cured Still the English army
made no move.
And now it is gradually coming to
light that there were disputes between
/ French and Kitchener other than that
about shells-dispute in which French
| is not so well supported as he was on
the munitions question. Chief OF
these. and the one on which opinion is
most evenly balanced, is that Of the
use of the new army.
Differences with Kitchener.
French wishes to use the new troops
as drafts to fill gaps in the ranks. ar
guing that the green men will be
steadier If they take their baptism of
/ fire supported by veterans. Kitchener,
exceedingly proud of his new force and
believing them the equal Of any now in
the field, wants the new army used as
units, keeping the formations and OFF,
GERS with which they have been trained
French refused TO give way-so did
Kitchener-and so the new army is. for
! the most part, useless at present.
| ON the other hand, the most serious
charge against French has to do with
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