The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-11-07

YAE, which IL the supreme test
\A/ of everything connected with
w the army and with the fleet.
has shown the necessity OF
having a soldier instead Of a civilian
at the head Of the department of war
and u sailor in control Of that Of the
navy. When the present great in
ternational contiagration suddenly
broke out in the commencement Of
August last year the English people.
disguised with the muddling Of a long
series Of civilian Secretaries of State
fur War who had reduced the mill
tary resources OF the vast British EN-
pirc to their lowest ebb and depleted
the ranks of the army and the con-
tents of the arsonals for the sake OF
short sighted economy, arose in their
wrath. and conscious Of the peril by
vh.ch they were confronted insisted,
one and all, irrespective of political
Itrty. upon i appointment of IL pro-
f,,s.unal soldier. in the person of
r'c,d Marshal Lord Kitchener. to take
charge If the Wal Office ut Whitehall.
As every one IL aware. he only con-
:, led To accept the herculean task
forced upon him 10y his sovereign and
nv his courtrymcn on the understand
Ing that he would he considered as
belonging to no political party or fac
ton. and n entering the Cabinet for
The sol. purpose of administering and
directing TIE military affairs of the
ration and of organizing. somewhat
late in the day. It's d~efences.
II VAS urged at the time that Adj
rlral Of the Fleet Lord Fisher, who
IN everything connected with the navy
cujoyS the same degree of popular
confidence as Kitchener does where
the army is concerned. should be
placed ut the head of The Admiralty
IN leu uf Winston Spencer Churchill.
Cut the condition of the navy was so
'm~melsurably superior in every re-
spec, tn that Of the junior service
md public confidence IN the efficiency
ot the maritime dcrcnccs 81 the en-
rire was so complete that the matter
VAS not pressed. and he Government
oartcntcd itself with calling Lord
Fisher from his VOL earned retire
mcrt to take n subordinate place on
the Board of the Admiralty: a board
ll' I4 N4tC~s''lA I n VI w l1s'I
ton Churchill pers.stentlv dlsregarded.
Had old Jackie Fisher as he Is
nr~ectionatelv styled by all British
sailormen. been in supreme control
at the Admiralty. England. AS well as
france, would have been spared the
disastrous blundcrs in connection with
the attempt to reach Constantinople
ny way of the Dardanelles and Gall
'ipoli, Fisher insisted upon resigning
his seat on the Admiralty Board be-
cause his views were disregarded in
the matter, and Premier Asauith In
his speech in the HOUSE Of Commons
m Tuesday last I'VE official confirm.
ton to the widely published story that
tho veteran Admiral had objected 10
the enterprise on professional grounds.
However. he was overruled. with the
result that England has lost several
varships, as well as over 100000 men.
in the sorry Darda nelles venture and
is now being obliged to retire from the
Gillipoli peninsula. having suffered
a sorry blow to her naval and military
prestige, and without having accom-
rlshed anything beyond diverting 4
i'I Al'll " NUt " amy aAh i'aN y
from attacks upon Russia on the
Black Sea coasts and in the Caucasus.
Winston Spencer Churchlll's place
has been taken by Arthur Balfour, whu
Knows even less about the sea and
about maritime affairs than n Of
his predecessors in office. He is not
even a yachtsman, and might have
achieved fame as a philosopher were
II not for his temperamental lazines'
and co~ngenital Incidence, which are o!
m altogether phenomenal character
He may he said TO have continued ana
emphasized the blunders of Spencer
Churchill. as shown by his failure &c
organize for London the same protec'
ton from visitations by Zeppelins that
has been enjoyed almost since the be
ginning of the war by Paris. Not ntt