Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-06-06

he was on a visit to that country on
similar mission.
Naval officers expressed the convic-
tion that the Hampshire must have
| struck mine as it would have been
lucky shot for torpedo to get ship
of her speed and under conditions OF
the sea, which was very rough.
The Hampshire carried crew Of be.
tween 400 and SEQ men.
Organized Volunteer Army.
or several things that entitlo
Earl Kitchener to a place in the
world history. the most notable Is that
he organized the largest volunteer
| army the world has ever seen, In the
greatest war Of all times
Within year from the sudden out
break OF the European war in August.
1914, the ranks Of British lighting men
were quadrupled by an Increase from
less than 100000 to nearly 100000
All other great powers that entered
the war had huge standing armies and
compulsory military service. Great
Britain alone faced the issue with con-
fidence that It's people would readily
| respond to the call Of king and coun-
try without compulsion ,and the pre-
cipitous developments that led to the
war found both the people and the
government unanimous In the verdict
that Kitchener Of Khartum was the
| man to lead In the recruiting and or
| ganization of the necessary army.
1t was not a sentimental clamor, for
tho Kitchener was a proven hero Of
many campaigns, his personality WAS
as impenetrable as hardened steel, and
he was not hero that could be loved:
| even the war Office had no pronounced
| liking for him. hmt on all sides there
| was profound respect for his military
| efficiency and for all he had done to
extend the domains of the British em-
pire 1as@
Warned Britain Of Danger.
BY mere luck Kitchener happened to
he In England on one OF the compara-
lively rare visits that he had paid to
London during his long career abroad,
when the European war broke out. He
had just come from service as British
agent in Egypt, had accepted an earl
dom from King George, and was being
talked of as Viceroy of India. Within
a few hours after England's declara-
| tion of war. Kitchener was appointed
secretary OF state for war and imme-
diately took full charge at the war Of
flee where he worked day and night
to overcome the handicap which the
central powers had over England In
the matter Of fighting strength
He grimly told the British people
they had bigger war on their hands
than they realized, and one that might
last longer than they expected. but It
was to be faced with entire confidence,
and he. unsmiling. almost like de-
humanized machine, set about to make
| things hum. He had scarcely moved
| into Whitehall street when he made
! numerous changes in the personnel of
| the war office. which was said to be
honeycombed with social and political
faVoritism.
After dispatching a few hundred
regulars to France and Belgium to
help check the onrushing Germans, the
war secretary began recruiting and
| organizing his army OF millions. Tho
British Isles were covered with signs
aud posters urging young men to join
! the colors Kitchener went thru the
| country experimenting the drilling OF
! the army. From time to time were
reports indicating his failure to get
the number of men he wanted, but
within year after the war opened
Premier Asquith officially announced
in Parliament that about 5000. 900 men
had enlisted in the United Kingdom
alone. and almost another million in
the overseas d0Tninons.
Object of Criticism.
Kitchener however, .as the objecl
of no little criticism. There was much
grumbling because OF the strict CEN
sorship he imposed on newspapers and
his utter disregard for war correspond
'sents. Notwithstanding this. the Brit
ish newspapers gave him active sup
port prior to May. 1915. During the
winter months the war secretary had
announced the big drive would be-
gin about the first OF May. The battle
Of Neuve Chapelle occurred in May,
and England believed this was the be-
ginning of the big drive. Shortly af-
:efwsaF,i reports reached england that
the drive had halted owing to short
age of munitions especially high-ex-
plosive shells. A section of the Lon
don press then declared that Kitchener
had made serious mistake in proviCi-
ing large quantities of shrapnel and
insufficient high explosives. Newspa-
per attacks went so far as to suggest
his being displaced as war secretary,
| but the majority of the papers defend
ed him. 1t was agreed that the raising
of a big army and supplying munitions
at the same time was too great task
/ for one man. The discussion developed
the formation OF coalition cabinet
and the creation Of ne new portfoIio
OF OF minister uf munitions. OF which
| David Lloyd George tonk charge while
Kitchener reinnined az war yrtnfsfer
{Contin1ted IN Para f9N