Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1916-06-07
Kitchener of Khartum

The death of Earl Kitchener the British secretary
Of state for in the circumstances in which it
CURED the most horrifying event Of the conflict.
We do not mean that it will essentially change the
of the that it will affect seriously the
part Great Britain is taking in it, Great Britain has
suffered other that disastrous The
Dardanelles campaign, the Mesopoaman campaign
and the diplomatic and military defeats in the Balkans
gripping the country than the death of
Kitchener
But his prominence, the foremost though not the
skilful soldier of his time, renders his tragic
end the most outstanding of all British disasters 1t
would be the serious if the British senti-
mental rather a people. The loss
of a leader is less to them than the loss prestige.
Another leader will rise take the place of the late
war secretary and the British part in the will
probably be carried along in the past
Kitchener naturally selected the chief di-
of military operations when Great Britain
entered the He stood above all other British
captains and rather alone The politicians who have
had much to do with the conduct of the would
have preferred another leader but there
other who oomed prominently. The politicians
had experience with of X. and having accept
ed him they about handicapping him. Against his
wish the politicians and social influence made Sir
John French commander the expeditionary
force in France where he kept in spite of Kitch
ener Tor months aIter ne Idleu inlSerdpiy,
then was brought and rewarded. With the
Dardaneles expedition Kitchener had nothing to do
but to bring that il-advised enterprise to close.
The Mesopotaman expedition forced upon him.
And, in fact every British campaign which has ended
in disaster is said to have been undertaken against
his protest.
So great was he hampered by politicians and
social influence that months ago his resignation
reported and for months his name has been less fire.
quently mentioned in connection with the great
than that of many a small British statesman His
visits to Italy and France resulting in strengthening
the allied armies in those countries, and his visit
which strengthened the position of the allied
troops at Salond the most notable of his later
achievements 1t may be believed his journey
Russia which he lost his life intended to
cement closely the coalition and to assist by
advice the great Russian offensive which supposed
TO be already under way.
More clearly than any of his countrymen
clearly than any of any other nation Kitchener
understood the great task which the imposed upon
Great Britain and the allies He predicted at the
beginning that it would be a long He said in
the House of Lords, MY term of office is for the
duration of the for three years if the
should last longer than that" Then he set about
doing what perhaps other Briton could have
pshed Within four months he had 1250000 recruits
under training had plans laid for an increase of
the volunteer army 100000. This achieve
ment that excited the admiration of military experts
OF all countries.
As a soldier, that is, a winner in the field Of
battles the place of Kitchener in military history
will always likely be a subject of dispute He had
fought only savage tribes and the greatly outnumbered
Beers. He had crowned the conquest of Egypt by the
capture Of Khartum but it the victory of great
administrator rather than that of great military
commander.
It will be interesting to know that the military
service of Kitchener began, it ended against
many. In 1871, at the age of twenty one having
second lieutenant of royal engineers after
completing his military education at Woolwch with
out the consent of his government, he enlisted a
private in the French Mobile Guard participated
in the disastrous retreat after the defeat the French
at lie Mans At sixtysx, British secretary
he brought his death in the perpetually stormy
waters north OF Scotland by German mine or torpedo