Many physicists between 1859 and 1915ish talked about how Newtonian mechanics was incorrect because it could not explain the perihelion precession of Mercury [1

Many physicists between 1859 and 1915ish talked about how Newtonian mechanics was incorrect because it could not explain the perihelion precession of Mercury [1]. No one had any idea what the better system would be, till Einstein developed the theory of general relativity ~1915. Why would not point out what is wrong with the current system? [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_(planet)#Advance_of_perihelion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_(planet)#Advance_of_pe...