The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1915-05-27
hat was met by the proposed coali-

that was met by the proposed coali-
ton cabinet. 1t was argued that the
cabinet In time of war should repre-
sent all the parties, and thus atten-
lion was diverted for a time from
Tho differences about the conduct Of
the war that really compelled a re-
alignment. This of course was fol-
lowed by discussions by public men
and by the press OF the changes that
should be made in the cabinet. And
III was inevitable that Kitchener
should be among those assailed.
For Kitchener has been absolute
fish people and parliament paid him
a really fine compliment by giving
him supreme power in all matters
pertaining to the war. Having given
him a free hand, the British natural
ly expected much of Kitchener. At
the same. time the British have been
quite generally disposed to stand
back and "let Kitchener do it," He
has not had the cooperation he
should have had, but it is not easy
to convince the British public OF this
fact.
1T probably is true that Kitchener
was overestimated at the outset and
that he is underestimated by the
more vigorous of his critics at this
man, but a determined one. He is
perhaps given a little too much to
the practice of trying to do it all him
self. He doesn't court counsel. Prob
ably he is as good a man for the
place as Britain has, but that is not
saying that he is a military genius.
Something OF the other side OF the
story, something Of the odds with
which he has to contend, is p%ointcdly
developed in a letter to a Chicago
newspaper by a staff correspondent
now travelling in England. He writes
that, whereas in France every one
knows that war is on, that tremend-
Gus sacrifices are being made and
that existence is at stake, in, Great
Britain one could hardly discover
from the appearance of the country
that it was engaged in n serious con-
fict. The crowds in quest of
amusement are as large as ever.
Able-bodied men of military age by
1.-THE tens of thousands are to be seen
enjoying themselves. The British,
public is vastly ignorant of what
really is going on in the war. Small
local success are exaggerated, as arc
reports of German exhaustion, sc
that the average Briton believes that
the war is all but won right now. II
any n ventures a remark that all
Lis not going as 1t should, the answer,
says this correspondent, is nine times
out of ten: "Why doesn't France OF
Russia do something?' An Office,
recently returned from the front is
quoted by the correspondent as say
ling:
People continually ask me what
the men and officers out there say
Iabout the. var They say only one
thing: When. are the people at home
going to wake up to the fact that We
are at war and really make n de-
ltermined. effprt?"
This picture of British Indifference
combined with oyeroptimism sourc-
ed in lack Of information or mis-in-
Formation, makes it fairly clear thai
any one in Kitchener's place has be.
fore him an Herculean task. II the
British public won't back him up, il
the men who ought to fight won't en-
list. if the whole country leans back
and leaves all the work to him, how
can he get the best of results?
At this distance it appears tina,
Kitchener's greatest mistake has
been In the handling of the censor
ship. 1t has been more severe in
Great Britain than in France. 1t has
resulted in distorted reports in. a
large majority of cases. The public
4 IL -L 49, 81 a .