New-York tribune., 1918-05-10
raj Maurice's charges. the Premier

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eral Maurice's charges. the Premier
said:
1T was his duty to go first of all
TO the Cabinet or to the Minister i'm
pugned and point out the mistake and
ask him to correct it. Never a syllable
was there until saw his letter in the
newspapers. ! say have been treated
badly Perhaps General Maurice
thought it was his business to approach
his own chief of staff first"
The Premier favored a judicial in
ouiry because judges were accustomed
Asquth had asked him what had hap
pened since Tuesday, to which he re-
Piled:
Will Let Public Judge
Since Tuesday it has become clear
from the statements of the press which
support MIR. Asqulth. that no decision
Of any secret tribunal would be ac-
cepted But those who are egeing on
the former Premier, proddng him and
suggesting that he ought to do this or
that, to embarrass the government,
Will go on exactly as they have before.
The government have therefore decia-
ed to give the facts in public and let
the public judge"
Ht RENTER Sdlu NT. ASQultH spoke
as if the whole press was supporting
the government. Mr.. Asquith had his
own press, too, although he seemed to
think that all the violent and virulent
press was that with which Mr.. Asquith
did not agree. He added:
81 will point out that in the last two
or three years, since have thrown my
self into the vigorous prosecution of
the war, have been drenched with
cocoa slop."
The Premier, discussing General
Maurice's action, said he had ascer-
tanned that Maurice had never made
presentations to the chief of staff on
the subject.
yet" the Premier continued sarcas-
tically, this is so important that a
select committee must be set up to
inquire into it, so important as to JUS
tify General Maurice trampling on the
Kings regulations and setting up an
example of indiscipline to the whole
army"
Both he and Mr.. Bonar Law were
anxious for an examination of their
statements by a perfectly impartial
tribunal. There was mass 'of con-
fidential documents involved, and he
maintained that a select committee was
not the best tribunal to investigate
facts when passions were aroused. The
House of Commons long ago came to
a similar decision when such ques-
tions as disputed elections were in
volved. Mr.. Asquith had opposed
select committee to investigate Meso
potama for reasons which the Pre-
mier considered right.
Regarding Strength OF Army
With reference to the strength of the
army. the Premier said:
SC hcn 1fn1v hot
there was a very considerable addition
to the man-power of the army at the
beginning of 1918, as compared with
the man-power at the beginning of
1917. in France. There was a great in
crease in the man-power of the army
throughout the world in 1918, as COM
pared with 1917. But the increase in
France was greater than the average
throughout the whole area.
81 do rot know whether General
Maurice had that in mind when he
must draw a distinction between the
combatant and the non-combatant. Let
me say at once that ! do not accept
that distinction when he talks about
fighting strength, as to who are COM
batants and who are non-combatants.
(Cries of ooh! Oh!") Are those men
who stopped the advance of the Ger
iudHS al HHlleHS tHe OIHeI udy CUM
batants? They are not, if you begin
to make distinctions.
Maurice Furnished Figures
Are the men who are under fire
every day making roads and tramways
and railways, who suffer severe casual
ties, eOmbatants or nOn-cOmbatants?
Does any one mean to tell me that they
are not part of the fighting strength
of the army?"
Reading from document which he
said came from General Maurice's de-
partment nine days after the Premier's
speech the sentence, From the state
ment included it will be seen that the
combatant strength of the British
army was greater on the first of jan
uary, 1918, than on the first of Jan
uary, 1917" the Premier continues:
II have been charged with mislead-
ing. the public and leaving the public
to believe that at the time of the at
tack on the Allied position on the
Western front we had slight superb
orlty In infantry, a superiority in cav
airy and superiority in artillery. The
whole of these figures we're based on
statements made by General Maurice"
Extension of British Front
With reference to the extension of
the British front, after declaring that
General Maurice, though at Versailles
was not in the council chamber. said:
There was not a single yard taken
over as the result OF the Versailles
Council. Although General Maurice
did not say so, the real point was this:
~ was asked in question by Mr.. Lam
bert whether this portion of the line