The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-21
Special Correspondence 10 the suS.

Special Correspondence 10 The Sun.
LONDON. July Cit is only a few
weeks since Mr.. Asauith was asked In
the House Of Commons as to the report
that n coalition Ministry was to be
formed soon. The Prime Minister re-
piled that there seemed no necessity
for anything OF the kind and that moth
days later Mr.. Asquith had In his
pocket the resignation of every member
OF his Cabinet. with the exception of
Sir Edward Grey. and two or thrt g
days later the formation OF the coali-
ton Cabinet was announced.
II would be unfair to suggest that
Mr.. Asquith. when he made this reply.
knew that he would almost at once be
plunged into the work Of getting to-
gether the coalition. II is only right TO
assume that the absolute necessity Of
either forming such a Cabinet or resign
ing and appealing to the country was
forced upon the Prime Minister after he
had given the answer in the House OF
Commons. What IL absolutely beyond
doubt Is that 1t was impossible for the
then Government to continue for more
than a very short time without causing
a general upheaval which would have
resulted In "a forced resignation and "A
general election.
The policy OF secrecy as to prac-
tically everything in connection with
the prosecution Of the war was no
longer possible. Members OF both
Houses OF Parliament and on both sides
who had knowledge OF the truth were
getting too FESTIVE longer to be held
in check. The public was mystified.
dissatisfied and suspicious. As has been
pointed out by practically every one
who has written o the conduct Of
the war in This country the English
people had from the outset not only
been kept ignorant Of the truth. but
had been deceived as to the way In
which things were going by an undue
emphasis in all official reports upon
what was favorable and something
more han reticence as to everything
that was not favorable.
slow 20 Recognize Truth.
The result was an Tjustifed spiri,
OF optimism. which until three or four
weeks ago entirely prevented the great
mass OF people here from realizing any
thing like the true situation. II was
OF course impossible for such a state
of affairs TO continue indefinitely and
the change came rapidly.
II is unnecessary nov to recount the
various ways in which the English peo-
Pile were fed on false hopes. one has
official eyewitness declared in one OF
his d spatches that the Germans were
running out of ammunition and that
all would shortly be well with the
allied cause. These stories Of the Ger
mans being short Of ammunition and
using old shells that failed to burst. or
of their reenforcements being composed
OF old men and boys. troops entirely
UNIT physically for the work Of war.
appeared day after day In the English
press.
Even when such stories were not on.
cial II was known that they could not
be printed except with tnC sanction of
the press censorship. which mas through
out actel ,htirely under TIE instructions
and very close supervision Of the War
Office and the Admiralty. The English
people were assured that when sf.r.Hp
came and the allied armies were re-
leased from the muddy clutch OF their
trenches a great push would be made at
once and that the Germans would he
swept back from all the Belgian and
French territory that they were then
holding.
disappointment Is Emphasized.
When April passed AMI the great
change that was confident.J expected
10 come over the aspect OF tho war
showed no signs OF developing the dis
appointment was great, but even then
the people thought that they would nav
to walt only "A few more weeks 10 see
what they had learned TO call The
Great Push" which should drive the
Germans to the Rhine The attempt: at
Neuve Chapelle. for some time believed
by the public to be a signal victory ana
hailed as the beginning OF a rapid ad-
vance, was slowly disclosed as "A mag
n!fcent disappointment.
From that time on the disappointment
and uneaslness grew apace. People
realized that the French and British. as
the spring and summer were slipping
BY, remained practically whore they had
been when the trench warfare settled
down along the huge front from the sea
TO the Alps last autumn.
For long there was not the slightest
suspicion on the part OF the general
public or even of many Of those who
are better informed as to the reason
for this. Practically the hrst confes-
sion on the part Of the Government that
the situation was worse than the official
accounts had been making out was the
now famous speech of Mr. Lloyd George
at Bangor. He then, TO all intents and
purposes. attributed the failure to adj
vance 20 the slackness of the British
worklngmer.
There then followed a camnaign which
resulted in those steps being taken
which, II was SUI posed, would rec'ify
this trouble Great Britain AZ one mo-
ment was to be turned by act of Par
lament into "A ~teetotal country for the
duration Of the war, A little later the
Government wanted to become the sole
p%urvcNor OF intoxicating liquors, for
drink, the Chancellor of the I.Nohcquei
had declared. was a more formidable
enemy than either the Germans ur the
Ausiriaus. After a white IL seemed 10
he discovered that lr.n'. was no, the
enemy and the auti-lriuk campaign
eliminated, as far a. ~" ,aN rcmcm-
her, In people being prevented from
drinking whiskcy that was los than
three wears old.
Another scheme that was 10 release
thousands Of mon either 90 fight or "a
work i'm factories was the enrolment OF
the women Of England 70 take the r
places some s0.0O0 women enrolled,
but employ mcat has been found for only
n couple Of thousand Of thr'c. with tho
natural result that the So UOn who
registered ave now dwlnd'lng away.
"Cat out "f the Dng.'
Next came the revolt OF the TiIucs
and the UHiy MAI. II has already
been explained In THE SrN how this