Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-06-27
iBig Savings the Dominant Note of Bargain Thursday
First Censure for Gen. Nixon.

4no main report OF the commission mas
that the chief responsibility for recon-
mending an advance in 1915 with insult
ficient transport and equipment rests
with Gen. Sir John Eccles Nixon. the for
mer commander of the British forces in
MesoP6tamia while others ~, sharing re-
sequence: In India. Baron Hardinge, the
Former viceroy, and Cen Sir Beauchamp
Dun. the former commander-in-chief OF
the British forces in India; and in Eng
land. Maj Gen Sir Edmund Barrow. the
military secretary of the India Office; J.
Austen Chamberlain. secretary for India
and tho war committee Of the cabinet.
The report finds that the expedition was
5ustfable military enterprise, but con-
tends that it required during its incep-
ton and development the most careful
Of responsibility between the India office
In London and the Indian government, the
former undertaking the policy and the
latter the management. was. the report
able. The scope Of the objective of the
expedition was never sufficiently defined
In advance to make each successive move
part OF a well thought-out and matured
Briefly. the report shows the mistakes
and miscalculations incident to the at
tempt to advance on Bagdad, which in
volved the surrender of more than a di-
the casualties incurred in the Ineffective
attempt to relieve Kut amounted to about
ZS,UUU men
The report says that the general arma-
ment and equipment were not up to the
standard OF modern European warfare
and were quite insufficient for the pur-
pose; Up to the end Of 1915 the efforts
transport were wholly inadequate. The
report concludes:
Looking at the facts. the want Of fore
mental needs Of the expedition reflects
discredit upon the organizing aptitude Of
all the authorities concerned. To Lord
Hardinge. as Hceroy. belongs the general
head Of the Indian government
more severe censure must be passed
upon he commander in chief. for not
only did he fail closely to superintend
but he declined for considerable time,
until ultimately forced by the superior
authority Of he viceroy. to give Gre
dence to rumors which proved to be true
and failed to take measures which sub
sequence experience shows would have
saved the wounded from avoidable suf-
fering"
Commander Josiah Clement Wedge
wood. NJ p, who is a member of the
Mesopotamia commission, issued a
seperate report in which he says
ut is Lord Hardinse and Sir Beau
champ Duff whom I cannot merely
charge with honest error. Throughout
they seemed to me to have shown little
desire to help. and some desire actually
to obstruct the energetic prosecution
of the war"
Summing up, Commander wedgewood
finds that the principal responsibility
rests on the government of India and
that no blame can be attached to any
one, civil or military, in England for
the initiation or sanction Of the ad-
vance on Bagdad.
Treated as First-Class Sensation.
The report Of the commission is treat
tion. Editorials contain bitter re-
proaches Of persons concerned and de-
mand their dismissal.
'Enete traditions cheese-paring pol
icy and general dry rot and inefflciency'
Of the Indian command are condemned
by the newspapers. The anti-Asquith
Press press ia ngs blames the late govern
n mier A a impeachment; On the
fair to admit that his cabinet was led
completely astray by military advisers
The Times thinks the culpability Of ].
Austen Chamberlain, secretary for In
dia. almost wholly technical
The Times places a large share of the
blame on the late Lord Kitchener's
highly centralized control Of the Indian
army. The paper says the report goes
far to vindicate Lord Curzons resigna-
ton as viceroy Of India, twelve years
ago. on the ground Of disagreement
with Kitchener's scheme. General ap-
prevail is voiced of the governments
decision to publish the report and tell
the country the truth. A comparison is
drawn of Germany's attempts to explain
Messtnes and other reverses on the
western front. Amid a flood Of recrim-
nation room is found for satisfaction
that nobody who is chiefly blamed is
now associated with the Mesopotamian
forces; that tho blunders have been re-
trieved and that to that extent they are
less tragic than the irrevocable collapse
of the general expedftfon