New-York tribune., 1918-05-13
Repington Mischief Maker
Behind Maurice, Says | Paper
he London Observer Declares Critic; Working Through
Naturalized News, Sought to Sow Dis
sension Among the Allies

LONDON, May ia great zeal OF
attention is being attracted to the ar
ticle in the current issue of "The OBJ
server" in which the letter Of Major
General Maurice accusing the govern
ment of making misstatements about
the military situation is described as
the most perilous episode Of public life
during the war. "The Observer" says
that General Maurice is not the leading
figure in the affair and that the source
of the mischief is Colonel Repington,
the military critic, working through
The Morning Post" "and that dubious
sheet, The Naturalized News"
What "The Observer" refers to as
"Fhe Naturalized News" is "The Ma
tonal News" a Sunday sheet started
some time ago by naturalized alien,
whose antecedents, the newspaper saws.
ought to have prevented the Board of
Trade from giving him a license"
"The Observer" declares the whole
am OF the intrigue is to stab in the
back the present chief of the imperial
staff, Major General Sir Henry Wilson.
because Colonel Repington has a pri-
Vate cnmity against him and because
'he general has been the chief military
advocate of Allied unity of command
Playing the Enemy's Game
Inc newspaper says this faction is
playing the enemy's game on both sides
OF the Atlantic by attempting to bring
the present war administration in dis
fepute, to breed dissension among the
Allies, especially between Premier.
Lloyd George and Premier Clemenceau:
10 spread suspicion and doubt to mis-
lead America and to insult italy. An
other purpose, it says, is to plead for
Austria in a newspaper edited bv a
naturalized Austrian.
The Observer" demands that the
government ruthlessly put down treach-
cry and assert the constitutional con-
troll Of the army.
Inc ramlfications Of the recent mu-
!lny must be traced" it adds. military
intrigue must be crushed without COM
days justify the hope and belief that
premler Lloyd George and Viscount
miner are the men to make an end to
thls mutlncus nuisance"
1t continues:
General Maurice is cipher. A
source of far worse mischief is Colonel
hePington, working in ill-omened asso-
cation both through The Morning
Tost' tost and that dubious sheet sThe
nnaturallzed n News: Since Colonel
Replngton entered into this latter con-
nectlon he has wholly ceased. SO far &c
any trust in his discretion is concerned
-ior We lmpugn neither his morals
nor his lntentions-to be in situation
requisite for Caesars wife.
ne cause OF it all has been that.
fundamental want of balance and good
sense which has involved him in a
thousand snares of self-contradiction
"A FAMOUS instance was in the con-
troversy upon the national service
when Lord Roberts and Lord Haldane
were as poles asunder, but Colonel
Repington's versatility achieved the
astonishing feat of supporting them
both with equal vigor.
That is typical. Jt,explains why he
has been able to induce himself to
write both in The Morning POST
which is reactionary but ultra-pa-
ttriotic organ, and in The Naturalized
News which processes to be of ex-
.leHie uemOcfatlc tendency, which has
been edited by naturalized Austrian
and financed by naturalized Dutch
man, which has been carried on at q
heavy loss for no easily ntelligible
reason, and which has been attacking
the British government in these am
blguous circumstances, such as are not
tolerated in any other belligerent
country in the world.
Colonel Repington camored for
Irish conscription in The Morning
Post which supports that policy. In
The Naturalized News which is, of
course, against it. Colonel Repington
sentimentalizes and hedges.
"All his other writings have been
venial by comparison with the cam
paign which he began seven months
ago against closed military unity of the
Allies, and which openly or covertly
has been continued ever since. Moth
ing in the world could have been more
directly destructive of Allies interests
or more welcome to the enemy.
"He has been carrying on attacks
which give unmixed delight and en-
couragement to the enemy, but tend
directly to SOW dissension among the
Allies, especially between Clemenc