The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1915-05-06
ENGLAND T0CONFINE
PARTIN WAR T0SEAS
Lloyd George in Diplomatic Language
Announces Sudden Change in Brit
ish Attitude Toward Struggle.
WILL CURTAIL HER RECRUITING
Three Parts for Her to Play, One Of
Which is to Finance Allies-Dead-
lock in France and Flanders.
By J. w. T. MASON.

By J. w. T. MASON.
New York, May 6.-Great Britain
intends to curtail her recruiting, and
an unlimited supply of Englishmen
| will not be sent to the front to be
killed or manned after the contin-
entail fashion.
This sudden change in the British
attitude toward the war was an
| nounced in somewhat more diplo-
matte language by Lloyd George
Tuesday night, in the house of COM
mons. The chancellor of the exche-
quer said there were three parts Eng
land could play in the war. She could
keep command of the seas, she
could maintain great army on a
continental scale, and she could bear
the burden of financing the Allies
The first and third of these things
England was doing, but the second
could be done only within certain
limits. Great Britain had raised an
enormous army, the chancellor point
ed out, but the time had come to dis
| criminate in recruiting.
Inference Unmistakable.
The inference to be drawn from
| this speech is unmistakable. Eng
land believes that since her warships
are playing so important a part in
the conflict by keeping the seas open
to the Allies, and since British gold
far more than the gold of any other
of the allied nations is paying for
the war, the Allies must not count
on England submitting to the slaugh-
ter of all her males, as WE'LL Eng
land is primarily naval and fnan-
cial nation; France and Russia are
military powers; therefore, let each
of the Allies do what it can best and
what it's past preparations warrant
it in undertaking. . This is the logic
of Lloyd Georges statement, carefully
veiled under the name Of "dlscrfmin=.
|ation" in recruiting. s,,i, h.. -.
If the army: England already has
raised is not sufficient to overwhelm
Germany, a second expedition of SIM
liar strength will not be forthcou-
ing. If the war is to be a long one,
the British navy must be accepted
as England's further contribution to
victory. Command Of the seas, said
Lloyd George, is essential to the AL
lies ultimate success, respectfully if
the war is prolonged"
Far From End.
No more momentous announcement
concerning the conduct of the war
has been made since hostilities be-
gan. It seems probable the British
government has reached the conclu-
sion that Germany cannot be over
whelmed by land campaign except
at price in casualties which Eng
land, for her part, is not prepared
to pay. This conclusion is far from
meaning that Great Britain has given
up the struggle. Such an interpreta-
tion would be ludicrously wrong.
1t appears, though, as if the mill
tary authorities had decided a per-
manent deadlock is inevitable in
France and Flanders; and offenses
destined to break through the line
and win major victories are not like
ly to succeed. Otherwise, there
would be no limitation at this time
to British recruiting.
But, although deadlock may end
the land campaign, the British navy
will continue to hold the German
overseas trade at it's, mercy. Nothing
can prevent that. Lloyd George is
right in declaring command of the
seas is essential to the Allies ulti-
mate success. So deadlock on land
still makes it imperative for Ger
many to ransom her captured COM
merce and her captured colonies
This fact now seems to be publicly
recognized by the British chancellor
of the exchequer as the way victory
must come:
| For purifying water as it is