The Washington times., 1916-04-18
A BRITISH CABINET cRISIsp

There is revival Of the report that
the British cabinet faces a crisis
over the conscription issue. Mr..
Lloyd-George has for a long time
been demanding universal conscrip-
ton; Premier AsGuith has just as in
sistently opposed it. The military
faction, including the war council,
supports universal service; but Mr..
Lloyd-George is possibly the only
member of the ministry who takes
the extreme view in favor of it.
In such discussion there is neces-
sity to consider a variety Of ele-
ments. If, all married men of mill
tary age be called to the colors, it
will be absolutely necessary that the
end Of the war be reached soon.
Otherwise the economic structure of
the nation would soon crumble.
Somebody must remain on the work.
aday jobs of making things and
feeding the army and the people at
home. Money must be earned from
foreign trade to keep the balance Of
affairs right. No country among the
allies is able to contribute so much
as Great Britain through mainte-
nance of the industrial fabric.
If the entire military population be
summoned to the colors, then the
war must be ended soon with a grand
smash, so that the men may as soon
as possible be returned to their peace
occupations. 1t is a huge gamble,
and would seem a doubtful one; for
the allies have not adopted, in con-
ducting their side of the fight, the
smashing tactics. Theirs have been
rather of the Fabian sort; wearing
out the enemy by forcing him to as
sumo the initiative at all points, to
bear the heavier losses that 20 with
the offensive, to utilize all his re-
serve, and to neglect his economic
conditions.
The question of conscription in
England is therefore an economic
one quite as much as a military one,
Could Britain take all men of mill
tary age to the fighting line, without
fatally weakening the structure that
must support the fighting line? Ev.
erybody might "take three months
off" for a huge drive if that drive
would end the war. But suppose il
did not? Suppose that at the end OF
three months, while the country was
depending on luck to earn its living
and cashing in it's last reserves ot
credit, there should come big mill
tary disaster, necessitating the con
tinuance Of the military establish
ment on the new scale for another
year or two? 1t might prove that
Britain, keeping one man at home
for every two in the trenches, was {
more important factor than if SHE
should send all three to the front.
Mr.. Asquith is represented a!
calmly confident that the presen
policy is safest; and he has proved ;
man of wonderful wisdom. He doesn'
get excited, isn't temperamental
knows the British public mind mar
velously, and is the greatest com
poser in world politics toda.
He is going to be particularly neces
sary in helping direct the peace ne
gotiations. His retirement nov
would be, from that point of vieN
at least, a great misfortune.
Extreme reports dealing with tn
possibility of a military uprising +
create a dictatorship and enforc
universal service, need not be take
very seriously. The Britisher growl
ominously, and is never satisfe
with himself or his administrators; h
never fails to see ruin just ahead, bu
he has quite a way of pushing "jus
ahead" farther along SO that h
never quite collides with the disas
ter.