New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-04-14
Washington Mystihed al
His Back-to-the-Wall
Message
Sees No justification
But ignorance of Inside Facts
Causes Concern, Though
Faith Is Firm
By c. w. Gilbert

WASHINGTON, April 1.-THE Haig
statement puzzled and worried military
authorities here to-day, who could see
nothing in the situation as revealed on
the map to justify such a last ditch.
back the-wall utterance The fact
that conditions, in which armies equal
each other and the arms for defence
are adequate, and the defence, though
driven back, still holds to pivotal DO
sltlons, was not desperate, suggested
that there might be unknown factors
which prompted Haig's address to his
men. Even mon high in the War De-
partment worried over the possible un-
known factors.
The truth is that even the General
Staff of the army has ret. as one off
Ger expressed it, ''the cards on the table
before it, Our army here knows little
more about late DEVELOPMENTS and i'm
mediate prospects than the readers Of
the newspapers do. No one in France
has time in the midst of the lighting to
SIT down and write dispatches explain
ing 1t, even If 1t were wise to commit
certain elements in the situation to The
wires
W hat the army authorities know and
what they have all along based their
confidence upon is the fundamental
equality of the contest in France.
Lloyd George has just said that the
Allied forces we're not outnumbered
bonar Law, in review of the military
situation delivered just before the great
offensive began, and in anticipation of
It, SAID that if the Central Powers
should bring all their men from
the East front to the West they would
not outnumber the French and the Brit
lsh more than the French and British
outnum bered the Germans all last year
And' hnally, all our military observers
VINO nave been in France made the same
report Halg recently stated the num-
Der of German divisions opposing him.
Information here is that he had under
ms control an equal number of men.
IN regard to gun power, the informa-
tlon is less definite, but officers in the
army do not believe that the Germans
nave enough more guns than the Brit
ish to defeat the British. They NAV.
by concentrating guns here and there,
orlve Halg's army back, but they cannot
destroy it.
Expect Counter Blow
he mystery Of Haigs rather DESPAIR
ing cry and of Germany's second big
success on the West front remains un-
explained. The question why there has
been no major counter offensive re-
mains unanswered. Predictions of a
counter offensive were made to-day,
Just as they were in the early days of
the drive toward Amiens, and it was
thought by some that Haig's statement
tore hadowed such an effort. But the
n GALA Al.
similar predictions a few days ago had
The suggestion is made that the Al
ned reserve was scattered and has not
yet been organized, and therefore
counter attack on 4 large scale has
been impossible. But that, like every
thing else heard in military circles, is
pure guessing. Back of the conjecture
lies the knowledge that there are just
as many French and British on the
front as Germans and Austrians.
The strain of the last few DAYS is
affecting nerves, and criticism is be-
ginning to be heard. Pred ctions are
common that reorganization of the
BRITISH high command is to be ex-
pected. Men say that, granting the
Germans have made a contribution TO
the science of the offensive in trench
warfare, and no one doubts that thew
have, the new German tactics ought not
to have succeeded more than once be-
lore Amlens. What has happened since
ought not to have happened.
Aim Is to Hold Line
If the Haig statement means that the
British are faced with the necessity of
yielding critical position. no one here
thinks that further retirement means
defeat If the British fall back they
will doubtless fall back in the region
of Arras, and they will pivot their line