The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-06-02
WHO WILL SUCCEED PREMIER ASQU|TH? His Transition to the Lords
 RumOred SWINDLING TERRACE Promoters of Loose Morals Find Rich Fie,d-Sugar Beet Industry Ex-
 panding-To Change Mill
 itary Uniforms
sWINDLING TERRACE
By PAUL LAMBETH

By PAUL LAMBETH
 London, June 1.--(Speciai) )-The early transition of Premier Asquith to the lords is now accepted as an absolutely assured certainty and it is not at all unlikely that he will at the same time relinquish the leadership of the government and the liberal party to younger man. MT. As- quith smiles at these recurring rumors. but they are known to have good founda- tion. He has carried such tremendous load during the strenuous years which have marked his successful direction of the liberals that it Is wonder that his health has at all survived the strain. His physicians have frequently advised him to seek a temporary rest so that he may give his splendid vitality fair chance and extend his political life for the good of the country. Asquith has proved Moses to the liberals during a time of up- heaval which called for unusual powers of suasion and action. Neither the great Gladstone nor the witty but otherwise mediocre Campbell Zimmerman could have solidihed the mixed coalition ele- ments as Asquith managed to do. There fore If the eral-labor-Irish alliance is to continue after Asquith rests on his laurels, his successor will require great deal of tact and not little personal mag netism. The man who seems most likely to fill the bill is the British-American, Winston Churchill.
 Young Churchill is even now the master spirit in the cabinet. He has not failed to carry every point upon which he has set his heart. And he soothes, reconciles, sat-
 sfes everybody. Even Lloyd George, who at one time showed disposition to do with the liberals what Joseph Cham berlain had tried to do and failed utterly when he was the most radical of radicals, now accepts with the utmost good nature at his command the Churchill dominance. The substantial money powers in the lib- eral party would not accept Lloyd-George as leader Churchill wins them to him be- cause he is not an extremist and at the same time his evident sincerity as a re- former who gets things done delights the working class vote It will surprise nobody if Churchill is called by the King to form the next liberal cabinet. and the indications are that this task will have to be tackled at an early date.
 The raising of sugar beets is proving a profitable industry in the southern and eastern counties of England. It was at first thought futile to attempt this addi- ton to British agriculture and the first experiments conducted at the government stations in Kent, Gloucester. Shropshire, Devon and Essex attracted very little in terest among farmers rehners. Now, however. it is found that even without subsoiling a fair average production has been attained and commercially the prop osition is an assured success. It was due to a suggestion by visiting Nebraskan that the board of agriculture took the first steps which have so quickly borne favorable fruit
 The British peerage still provides rich field for the schemng promoter. The conversion of demesne lands into produc- tive farms and sales forced by the new land taxes has provided many of our elderly lords with money to invest and with consuls fiuctuating and unattractive the mind of the peer naturally turns to outside speculatons Of course that term is never used; but nothing could exceed the speculative character of some of the baits which are eagerly bitten at by some of these ermined lambs flirting with the promoters on the outer fringe of Lom- bard street Just recently one of the best known and most respected members of tHt ilOlSt Ol lOIuS cOHlIiDuitQ SiJu,uOb lO- wards the continental expenses of smart young man who has just gone into the insolvent court with no assets to his name, The peer had extensive properties in Newfoundland and the clever young promoter of questionable morals showed him how by spending a little money there was fortune to be got out of this land in timber and coal. The lord had never looked upon his own American nrp hol ba al thoug hhe hailed from the Newfoundland side of the Atlantic. But he had lovely assortment of maps and charts and little by little he bled his dupe of every dollar almost which the peer had in bank, at the same time raising money on the New foundland properties under power of at torney.
 one result of the Kings inspection of his troops at Aldershot will most likely be a complete transformation of military uniforms. King George agrees with the younger oVicers of the army that the time Is ripe to modernize the regimental home and field dress so as to make Tom my more presentable and more comforta- ble. The Royal Military and Naval Tour nament which his majesty opened Just recently and which is now drawing big crowds at Olympia, gave the public an opportunity to contrast present uniforms with those worn in the days when Marl- borough was winning victories in the Low countries. The Green Towards, as the Yorkshire regiment was known in 1750, are showing in manual exercises how loose and easy to walk in was the dress of the soldier In the days of the great Louis, John Churchill and Prince Eugene.
 Ii was only after the ramrod influence of Frederick the Great became paramount in this country that stiff and ugly uni forms came into use. The Prussian ex- ample was reinforced b ythe desire to cut ldown expense by using as little cloth as possible. Then the loose coat with wide skirts made to button back was turned into a tight coat with ridiculous little tails. the warm waistcoat was done away with. the soft neckcloth became a hard leather stock, and gaiters were cut down 1 to 'spats." A crease was regarded as Il crime and pocket as ''unsoldierly.' That l is why the British Tommy Atknses still have to carry their handkerchiefs in their