Evening star., 1917-04-15

J
It Is interesting to recall now that
there was not the slightest doubt in
Lloyd Georges mind at that time as to
the entrance Of America into the war
He was not only confident of it, but
he spoke to Senator Hale and myself
about 1t as an assured thing.
II do not understand how you could
endure this German policy SO long," he
| said; "it Is incredible-and now that
| they have prescribed that you shall
send only one ship week. and that
ship marked like Dutch paddle steam
er-no-you cannot endure It,"
Source Of Our Revolution.
Even more interesting was his COM
ment about the feeling he had toward
America as an ally. We were sitting in
the big cabinet room at the prime min
| ister's official residence in Downing
street, the room of which he remarked,
rather whimsically, "You Americans
cause here American Independence was
made certain" He meant that the
British policies here adopted provoked
the revolution. when the time for
Il believe that America will have a
useful role to play about the council
| board. I have always looked forward to
| American participation, and l believe
| that American influence will be a good
| thing, which, for myself, 1 shall well
come"
| The comment of Sir William Robert
son. the British chief of stafr, was also
instructive. Welcoming me as an
American, he said, with twinkle in his
oil Nynr ar
| fight? 1t looks to me as If you weren't I
! quite as proud now as you were little
while ago"
Then. quite seriously; he discussed the
come in; you can't avoid It." he said ex-
! pressing firm conviction; and then
your problem will be just what ours
was. You have the best material in the
| world to make soldiers.
ea. hssert zmbzmfikwRet. .kfet. k
Then, quite suddenlyh he said: do
you know Henderson's Life of Stone
wall Jackson? Henderson discovered
| the civil war for the British army. He
was a teacher at the Staff College when
Haig and / were there together. l
| think he must have known that some
! time we were to have the test that
| has come, and he saw in the civil war
the solution of our problem
| asked the British general If he
thought the war would go another
year.
| Germans Have Men and Munitions.
"I do not say it will: do not say it
won't; it may" he responded. But a
moment later he extended this Scotch
answer, by conceding that "the Ger
mans have men enaugh. They have re-
leased enough by using enforced labor;
as for munitions, they are piling them
| UP. piling them up" and his hands
went above his head. My impression
was clear that Robertson believed the
war would go through 1918. in any
event.
/ Then he asked me about the British
army as l was just back from week
at the front in France. told him my
| impression, saying that 1t seemed to
me like what l had heard of the army
OF Grant.
Not a bad army, not a bad spirit"
he remarked with sober pride.
"And your strategy. is it not on the
Grant order. pound. pound, pound L
asked.
| Something in that" he said. tersely.
and then returned to the subject OF
stonewan Jackson and the civil war
What do ycu think Of the spirit OF
our men? How did the feeling of the
army impress you?" I told him, what
was unmistakable. that 1t had sense
of the approach of victory. l told him
that the same spirit was in the French
army. but the spirit of the army was,
on the whole, far better than the spirit
of the people of Paris. meaning the
politicians.
"oh you'll find the same thing here.
he replied. with sudden burst OF
| frankness.
I recall these comments now, because
! It is Interesting to show how men in
high place regarded the American
participation before it was a fact. 1
| visited the British army three days
AFTER the break in relations with Ger
many, and everywhere l was greeted
| by the same question. -
What Is america goans - 80, uU .o,,i.
mander-in-chief down to the last sub
altern the query was on all lips. 1t