The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1917-06-28
REPORT ON KUT
Anglers BRITISH
Swift Punishment of Those
Responsible Demanded
by Newspapers.
SPECIAL Gable Despatch to TIE Sun

SpeCIdt CdOte DcSputCH 10 lnh ON
LONDON, June 27.-Public irritability
and nervousness as result OF the long
war strain which has been evidenced re-
Gently In the demands for reprisals on
German towns for the air raids here
found a splendid outlet to-day in vilifi-
cation OF those involved in the report on
the disaster at Kut-el-Amara. The pain
full disclosures Of inefficiency In high
offices. combined with tales OF horrors
attending the poor medical arrangements.
raised the safety valve and allowed pent
UP feelings full play.
The indignation taxes various forms.
Every one wants to see those responsible
fully punished. The Evening Globe,
usually conservative in such matters.
displays across its front page in bold
type, who's going to be shetf" follow
ing II UP with vitriolic censure OF Lord
Hardinge and other 06icials who suf-
fersd in the con,misstou's report. The
PAU Aoll 0asette declarea. that. the
nubiic,e Indignation rs 80 intense that
nothing but savage punishment for those
responsible will be acceptable.
Favortism Charged.
1t IL possible that the fame started by
the disclosures may develop into con-
Migration which will consume other
officials, and even whole Departments
Foreign Secretary Balfour's statement
that a discussion OF the Salonica ex-
pedition would not be In the public IN
terest will not stem the tide OF criticism
The Erening STANDARD says editorially
mo ore Of the persons convicted OF
I Last
or incurred the slightest personal dis
comfort. Most OF them have not ever
suffered In official standing. Isn't there
something terribly wrong with system
which Is by no means kindly to failure
/ In the lower ranks, but consistently fails
to visit with any real punishment the
grossest incompetency in great places
Social position. intermarriage and th'
freemasonry Of officialdom make 1t ex
ceedingiy difficult to bring home to In
competency and even to dishonesty III
| appropriate penalty. Surely there mus
be a limit to the leniency shown to or
tenders Of good social position will
plenty Of friends In Parliament W.
NAV say frankly that II there Is M
change in this system the results vii
| be serious"
! Threatened for Telling Truth.
The story of how Surgeon-Ma3o
Markham Carter risked being broken
| in order TO expose the shameful Iaci
Of medical transport Is prominently dis
played. The Evening Ne,os declares
For two months no one could be seel
talking to Major Carter, who was prac
tically sent to Coventry, but ne wa
yindicated in April, 1915"
After Majof Carter's criticisms OF tn
appalling conditions at Basra, when IN
men wounded at the battle OF Ctesipho
arrived. Mator-Gen. Cowper threatens
to arrest him. and said he would hav
his hospital ship taken away from mr.
as a meddlesome. interfering faddist. t
this much Gen. Cowper testified befor
the commission, but Major Carter per
sisted. declaring in one report that "ther
Ia little chance Of recovery Tor me
with severe gunshot fractures who II
on the bare decks Of boats and barge
for thirteen days among septic dis
charges''-the remainder Of this passag
being too horrible to print. Major Car
ter described the wounded men, bot
British and East Indians huddled to
gether, without protection from the rain
some without blankets and some wit
broken limbs set with splints made fror
strips Of whiskey boxes.
|
then commander OF the British forces
Mesopotamia. in response to question
from the India ONCE. which had hear
rumors as TO bad conditions, describe
the medical arrangements as splendid
Prominently displayed also is the me'
sage of Sir Beauchamp Dun, Commal
der-in Chief in India. who never visitt
MesopotamIa or even Bombay. the shil
ping port, but severely rebuked Sir Pero
Lake for the wording OF a telegra
which Sir Percy transmitted from Ge
Cowper. Gen. Duff cabled "Please wal
Gen. Cowper that II anything OF tn
sort occurs again or j receive any mo-
auerulous. petulant demands for shi
ping shall at once remove him from II
: force and refuse him any further er
,, pioyment of any kind.
Tue Star remarks after quoting tn
message, "and our children were dyir
like dogs In the desert
There is loud demand for punkl
. ment. but as the Times says, Hard
Y any one specifically criticised IN the r
. port has anything to do with the car
Z paign on the Tigris to-day. One Go
I ernment decided to invade Mesopotami
: and another Government ordered the a
Y vance from Kut toward Bagdad. Bo
q In turn have been changed by reco
struction. There Is another Viceroy
= India and to some extent new Go
J. ernment in India, None OF the Ge
!, erals or medical officers who have
y bear a heavy share Of the blame are a
l. ISOLATED with the expedition any mol