Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1918-08-16
DICK NORMAN.
THE BRITISH EMPIRES BIT.
New York Timcs.)


The part played by the British
land forces in the war should be well
understood by this time. 1t is II re-
cord of amazing energy, and reflect
impcrishablc honor upon the empire.
mons on Tuesday afternoon Premier
Lloyd George supplied information
that was lacking, ms, for instance,
the fact that during the German
offensive which began on March 81
rcinforccmcnts amounting To 1000
men were dispatched across the
Channel in one month. Included were
youths of eighteen and half who
had had five or six months training.
"No veterans" said the Premier,
ever fought with greater courage
and greater "splendor than these
lads to help hurl "back the lcgions
that had fought to destroy the
British Army" Mr.. Lloyd George
also said that India's contribution
had been l,250,000. To it will be
added 100000 more, according to Il
late report. For thearmy and navy
Great Britain alone," according to
the Premier, has raised 6,250,O0O
men, most of them, in fact nearly
all of them, by voluntary recruiting,
IAN uncXamplcd feat in the history
Of any country" There can be no
excuse for belittling or misreprcscn-
ting the British Empires contribu
ton of combatants and auxiliarics to
the cause of the Western Allies.
Only malice will attempt it,
But, in spite of all that Great
Britain could do TO aid France in her
extremity, it was not enough. Mr..
Lloyd Gorge said that "soon after
the blow. on March 81" (the launch
ng OF the great German offensive)
am appeal was made to President
Wilson TO hurry men over, "even if
they were mot formed irto divi-
sions, so that "thcy could be br-
gaded in British "and French for
ma lions" MIR Wilson instantly cablcd
back, saying in effect: Help us with
ships and you shall have tie men,"
Sir Joseph Maclay five days ago
dcscrlbedthc transport miracle"
MIR. Wilson sent the men over so
fast that today the American contri-
button in France is 300, 900. With
American troops in the line Marshal
Chen GeneraD Foch flattcncd out
tic NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. salient, taking
$500 prisoners and almost 900 |
guns. We now know that if British
an dAmcrican achievements had
not been thrown into line the Ger
mans would have won their great
offensive. There can be no other
conclusion from the facts.
The part of the British Navy In
the war had been recognized in Il gen |
cral way before Mr.. Lloyd George
spoke: Naval men OH both sides of
the Atlantic, the professional men,
the experts, needed no cnlightmcnt,
but the "man in the street" in Amer
lea had only Il ncbulous conception
of the British achievement at sea.
In saying that "when the war started
the British Navy had a tonnage or
"2, 800, 900, and it now has 5000, 900.
Including the auxiliary fleet" the
Premier did not mean that the fight |
ing fleet had been doubled or trcbled.
The auxiliary fleet, including the
submarine patrol, is very large. At
the same time, it must not be as
sumcd that Great Britain has failed
to make additions to her fighting
fleet. When the true story is told,
1t will astound the world.
Unless British Admirals have lost
their skill and British seamen their
traditional valor, the German Grand
Fleet would have, were II TO come
out. only forlorn hope of defeating
~-Nl''''hSb ~ iNiou NAVY HlOIG.
With the addition of Americas
powerful drcadnoughts now in Bri-
fish waters, the Allies are invinciblc
under conditions the most propitious
for Germany; in short, it is not con
ccivable that the Allies could be
taken by surprise, suffer even n
minor reverse, or lose ships without
lnilicting far geater losses. The Pre-
mier drew graphic picture of the
multifarious and neverccasing work
of the navy "on ii vast Wilderness
of sea over hundreds of thousands
of square miles" Four years of
vigilance and duty: "No darkness
arrests it. No weather and "no
Winter stops it. The navy never goes
into Winter quarters"
Germany, as Mr. Lloyd George
said, cannot possibly triumph Sue
cess on land would be abortive. since
failure on the sea is inescapable
The allied navies have strange
hold on Germany that she can never
tear from her throat. Mr.. LLOYD
George does not baost nor exagee-
rate when he says that " in the main
this deciding struggle is carried on
by the British Navy" That is what
our own Mahan would say, if he
were alive today