New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-03-23
impossible!

Major General Sir Frederick Barton
Maurice, formerly director Of military
operations of the British General Staff
and later one of the best known military
critics in England, said on his recent
arrival here that the feeling in England
is almost unanimous in opposing, con-
scription that CONSUMPTION in England
at the present time is political impos-
sbility
This tallies with the diagnosis set out
by Simonds, who says that Lloyd George
was prompted to put over his indirect
anti-conscription measure in the peace
conference by the political situation at
home. Simonds writes:
at is a matter of frank question whether
the peoples of Europe, after this tremen-
dous tragedy, would have consented to &C
cept any peace which continued the condi-
tons as to CONSUMPTION which existed be-
fore 1914 1t is a question whether any
peace even under the shadow of the league
Of nations, would have been welcomed by
the millions of Europe if 1t did not absolve
them from the blood tribute of the old mill
taristic system . E.. The whole thing
has two aspects; the domestic political
necessities of Lloyd George and the larger
philosophical conception Of many English
men. 1t was impossible to persuade the
British public permanently to adopt the
system of CONSUMPTION which they reluc-
family accepted after the war had continued
for many months; 1t was impossible to
raise any professional armies by the volun-
tary system which could face the German
armies if Germany retained the conscription
system. But there were also the hope that
If Germany, now temporarily in chains,
should be compelled to abandon the insti-
tuition Of CONSUMPTION she would not revert
to it after she had regained her national
health"
Lloyd Georges plan is described by
Simonds as follows:
Under his plan there will be imposed
upon Germany the British military system,
which calls for volunteer army corhpar-
able to our own regular army, made up Of
men enlisted for long period of time,
twelve years, to be exact The. size. Of this
army will be rigidly held down to 100000,
as contrasted with the national army of re-
cent decades"
If
This is the way the plan will affect
Europe:
What Lloyd George had in mind was
twofold thing. If Germany were per-.
mittcd to continue CONSUMPTION it was in
evitable that England also would have to
adopt permanently that CONSUMPTION
method followed in the later years Of the
war. In the last political campaign Lloyd
George gave unqualified assurances that
this system OF CONSUMPTION should be
abandoned. In imposing upon Germany the
necessity Of abandoning CONSUMPTION Lloyd
George is keeping his political promises in
England.
But the thing goes far beyond this
Consumption is the sort Of thing which per-
s'sts, because every nation Is compelled to
protect itself SO long rs one nation arms its
whole population.
"Now, II Germany is compelled to
abandon CONSUMPTION and to accept pro-
fessional army OF 100000 men, France and
Italy, in their turn, will unquestionably
abandon conscription. The Radical and
Socialist parties, I'd, IN fact, the masses
OF French and Iti fan people, viii never
fOnHEut to make n ,.F "A