Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-05-08
BRITAIN ASKS SUPPORT
In THE GEORGE CRISIS
[Continued from First Page.1

- T.. my MINISTER'S implied state
mept in the House of Commons that
Field Marshal Haig's forces were nor
diminished during 1917. He also
takes exception to the premier,'s
statement that only one white infan-
try division is in Mesopotamia and
that three white divisions are in
Egypt and Palestine.
Inc government has issued a sum-
mons to It's supporters requesting
their attendance in the House of
Commons on Thursday when mr..
Asquith will move q resolution which.
II carried, will be vote of cens,Ire
OF the government
"A division is absolutely certain" :"
says the call
According to the Press Associa ton
the proposal to refer the Maurice
affair to two judges may be regarded
as withdrawn, as the suggestion cid
not appeal to the members of the
House and its rejection by Mr.. As
quith and his followers rendered #
worthless.
On the other hand it is added if
is doubtful whether any other form
of inquiry will be held and if is like
lN the premier will give the House
the fullest possible information con-
Sistent with public safety. citine fig
ures in proof of his statement of the
relative strength of the army in lam
uarN, 1917. and January, 1918. AS
regards other matters involved in the
statement of General Maurice il is
understood that an explanation per-
fectly consistent with both versions
will be made.
The action of General Maurice.
former chief director of military
operations at the war office, in, i'm
pugning the veracity of ministers OF
the government, has created a most
serious political situation and one
which is of vital importance to the
cabinets existence, according to the
views expressed by several of the
morning newspapers.
Papers which have consistently
supported the present administration
rally to its side and insinuate or as
sert openly that former Premier AS
quith and his followers are back of
General Maurice and that the affair
is maneuVer to GUST the LLOYD
George cabinet and put in its place
cabinet headed by Mr. Asquith.
Niscount Grey and the Marquis of
LanSdowne
Thursdays debate, the Daily Tele-
graph thinks, will be the most Sc
rlous that any the government has
of its continuance in power. The
paper is convinced that the ministers
acted in perfect good faith when
they made the statement which Cen
eral Maurice contradicts and believes
they merely repeated information
supplied by their military advisers.
The Daily Telegraph believes the
country has complete and iustifia BILE
confidence in the government. but
adds:
Commons Must Choose
There is no doubt that the oppo-
sition led by Mr.. Asquith regards the
time as ripe for it to accept the re-
sponsibility of office. 1t is for the
House of Commons to choose. The
alternative government would be ex-
clusively a radical one"
The Daily Mail which strongly
supports Premier Lloyd George and
is as strongly inimical to former
Premier Asquith, says the debate on
Mr.. Asquith's motion will afford him
the needed opportunity for an at
tempt to bring about a parliamen-
tary crisis. 1t remarks that when
General Maurice said that no soldier
had seen his letter, he did not say
that no politician had seen it.
England's Most Talked-Of Man
The most talked-of man in Eng
land to-day is General Frederick b.
Maurice. formerly chief director of
military operations at the war Of
fee.
If some volunteer general or some
soldier who had graduated from
politics or business into soldering
had defied and trampled upon all
the laws and traditions of the British
army and all armies, he would not
have excited such enormous surprise
as has General Maurice in his newly
famous letter impugning the vera
city of the ministry. Had some less
well-trained officer written the letter
it would have been put down to lack
of tradition and to a disregard of the
conventionalities by a citizen soldier.
But General Maurice in his per-
sonality, his record and his career,
has been the personification of ali
that is conventional, austere and cor
rect in the professional soldier. Bar
ring his uniform he would readily
pass for a typical Prussian staff Of
ficer of the Moltke school.
George viii Disclose
AS consequence of the political
situation brought about by General
Maurice's letter, Premier Lloyd
George, according to the lobby cor
respondent of the Daily Telegraph,
considers it unavoidable to disclose
facts which have been withheld up
to this time for military reasons. The
premier, it is added, intends to give
facts and figures when he speaks on
the Asquith motion on Thursday
The Evening News which is cred
tied with being in very close touch
with Premier Lloyd George, says of
the letter written by General Maui
rice:
I'VE understand that both Mr..
Bonar Law and Mr.. Lloyd George
are anxious to meet the generals
charges at once and consider they
have a very good answer indeed to
them. The prime minister, when he
N, q da I, is d fnrnn ant IL, AI,n .A...ran-