Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-12-19
ENGLAND GRIM,
!. But UPlLF[TED
By WAR TURNS
S%~5aSH. IEIS5CgyHA StfCyNy% 49, 4-I bNssys
confident Lloyd George is
Man to See Conflict
) Safely Through.
Vision Of Situation
Grows More Apparent to
Common People.
BY Judson G. Wellivcr.

81 London, Dec. l9.-England enters
Upon its fourth war winter in a diff
~ferent frame of mind han it has
known for generations. wen in the
when things military were going bad
~ and the whole world seemed array
ed in sympathy against Britain. there
u was no approach to the gravity or to
s4the earnestness with which the ma
.tion views its concerns today.
y. Only by going back to the critical
years of the Napolenoic struggle can
anything like a paraoel be found. for
the seriousness, the determination,
the doggedness that this country is
-Sdisplaying. The Italian crisis came
at an hour when the nation was be-
ginning to entertain hope Of a peace
not too far deferred and certainly IA
.Norahle. The plunge from optimism
that was almost gay to the deeps OF
startled, amazed dlsilluslon mas been
"a hard experience. H.
=. Vet nobody haying seen Britain in
rother times. in peace as we'll as in
war. in other crises of this war. can
doubt thatathe country is just getting
ready for the biggest and best of
which it is capable. There is not a
.whimper. a word of disbursement. a
hwhisper of distrust.
Politicians Were Blamed.
Down to the very day of the Italian
disaster there had been going on for
months a great claaue of criticism d.
rected against the government. h
substance of the argument was that
the war was getting along pretty Well
but not we'll enough; that the soldiers
were all right, the commanders We're
all that could be desired. h navy
twas s%training at its leash. but the
politicians were holding things back.
The war was going to end right. but
1t wasn't going to end soon as 1t
ought, and that was because the poll
ticians didn't have sense enough to
put themselves confidently in the
hands of the military and naval au-
thorities. Not enough was being done
to hasten the end. the critics said; to
effect that close coordination OF the
military and material forces Of the
empire that would make it possible to
put forth the last supreme effort nee
essary to bring victory.
Throughout all these months OF in
creasfngly bitter criticism it was OBJ
eervable that the critics almost al
ways absta7ned from direct attacks on
MI. Lloyd George. He was accused of
had Judgment in the selection of lieu
tenants, Of undue optimism at times,
Of letting his enthusiasm override the
'commonest discretion. But. neverthe-
less he was credited with being the
one public man with a big enough
imagination to see the whole war, and
with the vitality and. virility to lead
through to victory.
The national reliance on Mr.. Lloyd
Georges leadership was never so plain
Hs in the days Immediately following
1.-THE receipt of the bad news from
J&aly. Suddenly it was realized that
the politicians had been right and the
soldiers had taken too narrow a view
Of the way. Strategy in watertight
compartments. the policy Of letting
each nation among the Allies fight its
own war practically Independently
with only the SaRuest unity OF
STRATEGY. was discovered to have heen
the mistake of professional leaders
each too intent on the particular task
OF which he was in direct charge.
Saw Unity OF Purpose.
TT came to be understood that fol
0 many months Mr.. Lloyd George al