New-York tribune., 1918-05-09

racy involved in war of the magnitude
of the present conflict, democracy over
many decades honestly and earnestly de-
voted to the cause of peace and pre-
occupied with the problems of domestic
reorganization, can hardly be expected to
change into military machine in one
year or four.
We went all through this experience
at the time of the Civil War, and we are
apparently to go through it again now.
The failure of our generals in the early
periods of that war was at least as COM
plete as the similar failure Of British
generals in the contemporary conflict
We could and did enlist and equip hum
dreds of thousands of men; we could and
did provide them with guns and munitions
in the shortest of times; in a word, we
performed the same miracle in 1861 and
1862 that the British performed in 1914
and 1915. But it was not until 1864
that our Northern armies were at last
ready to function, because the men had
been found to lead them to victory
We are able to understand far more
sympatheticaly in 1918 than in 1916 the
British problems and the British re-
verses; our own troubles are teaching us
humility. Yet it is essential, for our own
good, that we should not blink the facts.
With the political aspects we need not
long or much concern ourselves. Whether
Lloyd George survives or is replaced by
Asquith or Miner, Britain will remain
our loyal friend, and the war will go
forward to victory. We cannot and
should not be affected by that portion Of
the present dispute which grows out of
British domestic politics. Mr.. Lloyd
George has made enemies; his rise to
power has been over the ruins of other
mems political fortunes, and to justify
his method of gaining power he had to
achieve a success which he has not yet
approximated.
in the preservation of the unity of COM
mand and cannot sympathize with the
British army so far as it has opposed
this necessary step, from which the AL
lied cause has already derived manifest
profit If the British ministry mas failed
to provide men for the army, if it has
wasted men in remote fields, if it has
misunderstood the real military problem,
change now will be good thing. One
may hope that the change will give Brit
ain Miner, as a similar change gave
France Clemenceau, because Miner in
many respects resembles the great
Frenchman who has done so much to re-
store French morale and reanimate AL
lied spirits. But it is essential that we
should not become the partisans Of either
political camp or the defenders of the
generals against the statesmen.
The immediate question to be settled
is whether the Ministry or the army was
responsible for the recent disaster in
Picardy. Lloyd George has accused the
army; General Maurice has challenged
the veracity of the governments state
ments. But behind this immediate ques-
tion is that of the political survival of
Lloyd George. The manner and the
method of his rise could only be justified
by supreme success. Since this has noe
been achieved he must now face the
same charges which he brought against
Mr.. Asquith, to Mr.. Asquith's discom-
future, two years ago. Those who most
aided him to overturn his predecessor
are now his bitterest critics, and he has,
III addition, to face the man he turned
out. His position is difficult, it would
seem almost untenable.