New-York tribune., 1918-01-28
By P. w. Wilson,
OF "The London Daily News"

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27.--The crisis
which confronts President Wilson's
Cabinet runs on similar lines to the
upheaval that occurred in England in
June, 1915. With US. as with you. the
war had been in progress nearly year.
With us, as with you, there was a
strong view held in certain quarters
that the executive ought to have fore
seen the war and prepared for it. With
US, as with you, the certainty Of war
! was dated from definite event-in the
one case the dispatch Of the Panther
to Asadir in 1911 and in the other
case the sinking of the Lusitania.
with us. rs with you, the reply of
the executive was that preparations, if
fully disclosed. would be an answer to
the critics. But at this point the paral-
lei has to be continued with great cau-
tion. Indeed, note a wide divergence.
In our case the opposition threat
cned debate in Parliament and Mr.
Asquith bowed to the menace. He re-
fused to face discussion, and, as the
only alternative. offered appointments
to his political foes. who thus secured
seats in the administration.
With You open discussion has al
ready taken place. The critics have
said what is presumed to be the worst
that they have to say. And the only
question fer the executive to decide is
to what extent the official rejoindcr
can be made without an undue rending
aside of the veil of secrecy.
Bakers Bold Decision
Apparently Secretary Baker will tell
the whole of the truth as he sees it
from his standpoint, and this bold de-
cision. so contrary to our British prac-
tice of secret sessions, puts your gov
ernment in strong position as COM
pared with the hampcred admnistra-
tion which fell in June, 1915. 1t is not
for me to hint that international COM
plications might follow. To give one
illustration, a frank avowal of the
varying demands from the Allies, which
are held to be responsible for some of
the perpleXities Of the War Depart
ment. As a journalist. I am perhaps
bound to hold the opinion that in
Europe secrecy has been carried to
ridiculous extreme. and that to sacrifice
statesmen by putting on them the gag,
as was done in England, is absurd.
At the same time our situation was
grave. Through his dependence on a
narrow group OF recognized army con-
tractors Lord Kitchener had failed to
supply artillery and munitions for
hard-pressed army in the field. And he
had withheld the facts of the position
from the Cabinet and even from Mr.. !
Asquith. For our Prime Minister to
state this openly would have shocked |
public confidence in the Field Marshal,
whose name was the talisman for re-
cruiting And such confession might
have been an invitation to the Germans
to attack our lines when the defenders
were limited to the use Of few rounds
of she'll each day. Hence Mr.. Asquth's
silence.
Retirement Mistake
= have always believed that his abdi-
cation was a mistake. I have held, as
do most other people, that even if he
had said all, he would have told the
Germans nothing that they did not
know before. But. setting aside all
ght-have-beens. that is the story,
and it is Of real significance for Amer
lean opinion.
Speaking from the British angle,
may hazard the conviction that my
country is not specially anxious about
your provision of man-power and
cquipment-at least. this is not the as
pect Of the case which engrosses our