The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-12-15
patton in the west, serious revolution
might result.

| sure defeat; to withdraw may, by
!. melting insurrection, threaten all
Of England's far eastern colonies.
1t is not for the reviewer Of past
| events to try to penetrate the veil
that concealS the future.
1t was noticeable that at the coun-
ell of war held in France during the
past week, General Joffre was the ac
cepted leader, not Earl Kitchener nor
General French. This IS interesting
as indicating possibly the passing of
| Great Britain as the dominating in
fluence in the Allies military affairs.
In justice to England it must be
said that the British fleet has cleared
| the seas and has thereby made it pos
sitle for the Allies to control the
| worlds markets Of food and shell.
England has also supplied troops in
numbers at least kye times as great
! as what her allies and herself con-
sidered her quota at the outset.
But at the same time England has
fallen far below the standard s't by
the French and has either throsgn
! disaffection at home, incompetence,
or some other canso, f,lmost totally
! failed to measlre rp to tho demands
that German efficiency md prepared
ness psf dron her.
France, with population but little
if any greater than that CT the British
| Isles, has kept in the keld IN army OF
nearly 100000 mcn, England not
more than 100000. French ineffi-
clients have been weeded out by the
ruthless hand Of Joffre, who sees only
the good Of France. Englard's inef-
| ficients are still in commend, II we
may judge from results.
| Neuve Chapelle saw the beginning
Of what should have been great VIC
tory, truly Important in Its results.
| But it's end saw the infantry disrupt
ed and disorg.niZed bp an advance OF
only two miles, the British artillery
pumping shrapnel and shell into their
own infantry as fast rs the artillery
men could work the guns, and utter
lack Of cooperation bctwccn the
arms.
Somewhat later the German coun-
ter stroke came and the French saw
the lines Of the British trust back
around the Ypres salient, saw their
first line Of trenches occupied by the
Germans, and the entire position at
I Ypres threatened, and this after
numerous thrusts against the French
lire In the Argonne and elsewhere
hai' been thrown back.
/ Then camc the operations against
the Dardanelles. II history comments
on this move at all it. will be only to
ton but an England led BY popular
superstition to believe in navy to
which anything was possible would
have for a moment even considered
an operation against land fortifica.
tions without a thoroughly worked
: out cooperative plan between the
military and naval branches Of the
service.
England's realization came too late
and the fighting on Gallipoi has dis
posed OF over three British army
corps with absolutely nothing to show
for it bst another ingloriors defeat
And now there is absolutely nc
chance Of doing msch more. by way
of Gallipol than has yet been done
There remain out of this venture tive
considerations-first, how to get of
the peninsula, and, second, what viii
be the effect on British prestige Ii
, the Far East if the troops do leave:
The next blunder made its appear
ance in the latter part Of September
in the drive in Artois agains Lens
Here the mistakes Of Neuve Chapelle
! were repeated. The British went for.
ward at Leos and advanced some dis
tance east of Hill No. 60. The Brit,
. ish commander at this part OF the
line selected the time when the Brit
: ish advance line was over a mile tc
the east OF the present position to &c
, to sleep-mentally, If not actually.
The result was that when the I'd
vance troops had penetrated deeply
into the German lines and were eX.
hausted by their efforts, British re
serves were nowhere to be found, and
movement which should have and
could have shawen. II not broken, the
German hold on Lille was almost en-
tirely fruitless.
How the Black Watch was left IN
supported to bear the brunt OF the
German counterattack which followed
Immediately We =, told in detail .nortly
after the battle. The discouragins
feature was it's effect on the French
plans. For months the French had
been preparing for this advance at q
not inconsiderable sacrifice OF mer
and shell.
All the fighting in the Labyrinth
in front OF Souchez, and at Notre
, Dame de Lorette that marked the
late spring and summer had for its
object IN advance against Lens and
.. the German communications at Lille
But the incompetence of British lead
ership nullifed 1t.
The final blow was the military
and diplomatic failure In tho Bal.
kans. Not only was Bulgaria allow
cd to go against tho Entente, but
England utterly failed to send her
quota of troops to Serbia's aid.
Lastly-and this affects England
alone rather than her allies-there is
the British defeat by the German-leo
Turkish troops in the region OF Bag,
dad. Late in September tie British
forces under General Townshend won
a decisive victory over the Turks IN
Mesopotania between the towns OF
Kut and Nakhsilt on the Tigris. But
!. in the week past the tables were
turned and it was the British army
} that was in retreat.
All this, coupled with domestic dis
} turbances, cabinst uphe-Tals, and
: disloyalty Of native citizens. was wei!
calculated to shake the faith Of Bri-
. tain's allies in British military
prowess, and il Is not to DO wondered
ar that tho French seem 10 have
taken matters into their own hands
and assumed the dominant position in
) the Allies war couLcil.
Rumors have reached US Of dissen-
sion in the Allies camp, and it Is en-
tirely conceivable that such exists.
France and Russia have done their
part and have suffered grievously.
england boasts that she has not yet
: been wounded. Harden. tho great
German writer, has made the same
statement.
That British statesmen can point
, ~ Io o. oon1jfin1o u-H