Omaha daily bee., 1916-12-11
Germany's Victory in England
New York World

The British cabinet crisis is of greater moral
value to the German government than the cap
| ture of Bucharest
No German can now believe that Germany is
losing the war when British government is
overturned because Great Britain is not winning
| the war. He might be sceptical as to the actual
| value Of the operations in Roumana as means
| of relieving military and economic pressure on
| the empire, but he cannot be sceptical about a
British cabinet crisis precipitated by discomfort
| over the conduct of the war.
That there is great disappointment in Great
| Britain admits of no doubt; otherwise the Tory
| intrigue against the Asquith ministry could have
| made little progress. But how much OF this dis
| appointment is grounded in the blunders Of the
government and how much in ignorance of the
| nature of the war?
British unrest is commonly described as the
desire for superman, but there are no supermen
in this conflict and none will be found. The war
has become too great for any individual to visual
ize and master 1t has practically passed beyond
the immediate control of government. Whether
Asquith or Bonar Law or. Lloyd George or John
Doe is prime minister of Great Britain at this
time is relatively small matter as affecting the
outcome. Any statesman, whatever his abilities,
IS at best only cog in the machine which is
driven by the vital power OF the nation.
The British will find nobody who can buy
them cheap and easy victory, for the simple rea-
son that no such victory is possible. Indeed, it is
probable that no decisive victory can be won by
either side, whatever price is paid.
In the meantime it cannot be said that the
British people have made sacrifices that warrant
voluninous expression of political discomfort
Their losses are not one-tiird Of the French
losses, which France has taken without mur-
mur. British taxes high, comfortable ways
of life have been disarranged British pride has
not been excessively exalted by British achieve
ments in the field but no Englishman has any
thing to be ashamed Of There is at least one dis
astrous German blunder for every corresponding
British blunder and the German general staff
was supposed to be the last word of scientific
warfare.
In all criticism Of the Asquith government
there has been no unanimity of opinion as to
what the government ought to have done that it
left undone, or how it could have better mobil-
lied the resources of the empire to produce
greater military results on the eastern and west
ern fronts Nothing is so easy in time of war as
criticism. Armchair strategists are as common
as archair diplomatists, and quite as useless.
Unless the opposition to the Asquith ministry
has plan of campaign that will produce results
where the other failed the British people will
discover that the more they change their govern
ment in this the more it remains the same
thing The oftener they change it the more aid
and comfort they give to their highly resourceful
enemy.
The question that all of the belligerents must
soon face is whether anybody can win, and
whether the war has not reached deadlock at
which all further sacrifices are wanton waste of
life and treasure. That question is really at the
bottom of all political discomfort in Europe.