Omaha daily bee., 1910-07-25


1t lie impossible to avoid recognition Of
the fact that David Lloyd-Georgo is the
central figure in the present crisis In Brit
ain Mr. Asquith may take the lead in
directing the campaign for the abolition OF
| the veto Of the lords; Mr.. Winston Church
Ill and Mr. John Burns may deal with the
details OF progressive social legislation and
Administrations; Mr.. Balfour may captain
the legions OF toryism; Lord Lansdowne and
his ancient enemy, Lord Rosebery, may
stand together as the conservers and pro-
tectors Of our old nobility" Mr.. Chamber
! lain from his invaiid's chair may marshal
the forces Of the tariff reformers; but II
was Lioyd-George and his budget, Lloyd
| George and his land taxes, Loyd-George
and his high-headed and stiff kneed DEM
ocracy that, started the trouble, stirred up
| the quarrel aud preolpitated the crisis This
welshman IL a revolutonist, and thus far
"a successful one. He is in open rebellion
against the existing order and he holds In
! contempt the most sacred traditions Of po-
litical Britain. II he shall succeed in his
present campaign there will be new
nation in the right little, tight little ISL
and"
| The question is, then, Is Lloyd-George a
democrat, as his idollzing followers do
affirm, or Is ,he a demagogue, as his
| abominating enemies do swear2 English
men OF the one class admire Asquith,
| chuekle over Churchill, and love Lloyd
George; while those of the other class de-
| plore Asquith, despise Churchill and hate
| Lloyd-George with a fanatic and jealous
hatred. The late duke Of Rutland once
burst into song, giving utterance to that
remarkable couplet:
Let wealth and commerce, laws aud learn
ing die,
Others of the aristocratlo class have been
less frank perhaps, but they are none the
less earnest and sincere in UNFOLDING the
peculiar privileges of the arlstocracy, which
| they believe to be the most beneficent of all
British institutions.
| Mr.. Lloyd-George has been quite as frank
as was the Duke of Rutland in upholdnl
his own class-the common people. But
what was an Amusing indiscretion on the
part Of the noble duke becomes hypocritica
idemagogism in the Welsh solicitor. There
fore, when the chancellor Of the exchequer
breaking all laws Of political etiquette
said: "A fully equipped duke costs al
much to keep up as two dreadnaughts
they are~iust as great a terror, and the!
last longer" he was denounced Throughout
the length and breadth OF the kingdom as
rude boor who ought to be barred from
all decent society," T.
Mr.. Joseph Chamberlain, thirty year
ago, when he WAS something Of radica
himself, said that the members of tn
House of Lords were legislators simply be
cause Of the accident of birth. Shocking
as that statement may have been, It wa
couehed in decorous language, and, Will
the sentiment was depiored Its author re
manned respectable. Mr., Lloyd-George ex
pressed the same idea when ne said tina
the qualification of a member Of the uppe
chamber of the British legislature cor
sisted simply in being the first of tn
litter" For that he was damned as dc
generate defaner of the virtue of RritIs
women, an indecent and unspeakable socis
outcast
The speech and manners of Abraham
: iLireoln were plain and homely, to say tn
least, and some of hts most telling polit
Z cal sayings were unfit for ears polite, an
4 yet history has attested the force an
. strength of Lincoln's democracy, Will
81 those who called him demaRogue and VIII
s said his manners were crude and hi
K speech obscene are lost in oblivion M
. Lloyd George may not call spade a spad
0 but when he does otherwise he refers to
K not az IAN implement for excavation,
3 but as a damned shovel"
r In both what he says and his manner {
n saying It, Lloyd-George is offensive TO tn
l. gentle and upper classes OF British 81
] ciety. But It is not on record that he care
I IT is his purpose to appeal to the I,nasseI
: and he Is not afraid OF stirring up elias
5 prejudice nor OF engendering class hatre'
n He knows that his opponents always hav
appealed to class prejudice, and he Is quit
willing to go as far in one direction as tn
late lamented duke of Rutland went In tn
other. After all. it depends entirely upo
| whether or not this Welsh revolutonii
Is a democrat or a demagogue. 1t is SIS
niflcant, however. that to the privilege
all revolt -ponists. not reactionary, al
demagogues. 1t is only after they are dea
and the success OF t.ieir revolutions
proved by time that they can hope
claim the untarnished appellation "den
ocrat."