New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-12-21

claims that party success is sufhclent
aofence for a measure of profligate
e,ance. II is a vast and complicated
measure. II was driven through the
tIorse Of Commons by an untiring use
. the Gag, the Guillotine, and other
5eyices for coerCing powerful minor
;,v Masses Of detail vital to the bill
,.ere never debated at all. Amend
r,.nts were slaughtered wholesale.
For a considerable period of time the
House ceased to he a deliberative as
semblv and became a machine for
Grinding out the material of a statute
az the will Of the Ministry. For this
the Prime Minister was primarily
resnonsible: but the Prime Minister
IN respect Of the Insurance Act was
the agent of Mr. Lloyd George, as
in respect OF Home Rule he was, and
,s. the agent Of Mr.. Redmond.
Roth Mr. Asquith and his Chan
ce,lor Of the Exchequer believed II
n he a votc-catching bill. "Ninepence
for fourpence," was the cry. You
nav fourpence. You get ninepence.'
that was the appeal. seductive
appeal. The party that conferred on
millions Of voters this pecuniary boon
was N be invincible. The Act was
nassed. and went into effect. An
army Of new officials was created to
administer il. For details / have
M space. II is enough to say that
the working Of il evoked storms of
rotest. 1t struck at the Friendly
Societies. at Trade Unions, al other
voluntary bodies benefcially and wise
" conducted by trained men who
knew their business. 1t annoyed
master. mistress and servant. OBJ
loouy. not popularity, attended ITS
nroeress. Then came by-election
after by-election. eight or ten or more
| have not the figures by me-and
these elections. some of them eX-
,remely important. were lost by the
Government. and won by the Oppo-
sition. wholly or mainly because OF
the Insurance Act. a party act meant
10 strengthen the party. and this was
the result SO much for Mr.. LLOYD
George as a party leader.
Yet as a party leader he has eXtraoT-
binary gifts. He is forever talking OF
principles. In his acts, his policy his
leadership. you seek for them in vain.
His nearest approach TO a principle Is
2 sentiment. OF the Radicals in gen
.ral who talk of ideas, the same thing
true Their ideas are sentiments,
Yrulscs. aspirations; often humane
aUd well meaning: but incapable OF sci
eutifc definition or practical applica-
ton. Mr. Lloyd George is their natural
chief. They accept his emotional out
bursts as declarations of principle.
Some Of them see clearer. The ablest
Of Radical journalists said OF him:
principles? He does not know the
meaning Of the word
In resources Of different kind he is
not lacking. He is a born rhetorician.
He is Of that Celtic fringe which,
though only fringe, encroaches stead
ily-upon the English body polite: Eng
lsh to the core and English on the sur
face, vet submissive for at least two
centuries to the races which hang upo1
its outskirts. | suppose one cannot judge
fully Of Mr.. Georges powers on the
platform without understanding Welsh;
@ privilege which is not mine; but he Is
LID 81 ign
and we need not seek TO get inside his
Welsh heart. Limehouse and Newcas-
tie, and sometimes the House Of Com
mons itself have offered him opportu-
with a freedom such as no other poll
tician Of his time has attempted. You
must go back TO Goblet and TO Hen
ley for examples Of invective so racy
and so venOmous.
He complains that no other public
man is so bitterly attacked. He for
gets that no other public man has at
attacked his opponents so bitterly or
with such disregard, do not say of the
courtesies only but even Of the conven-
tionalities OF debate. If an opponent is
Of what are called the upper classes he
is likely TO be revilcd upon that ground.
He is accused by his opponents Of hav-
ing entered upon a campaign for party
purposes, TO set class against class 1t
is Of the class which he processes 10
regard as oppressed and which he
knows TO be in majority, that he
makes himself the advocate
Hereditary right is to him an offence,
and an eldest son is only the first Of
the litter" To be a Duke is TO him
anathema. He uses the word as a term
Of contempt and hatred You do rot
see many Dukes working on the coal
falls OF the Welsh or English pits"
Land Reform is a subject on which
ne comes as near to being sincere as
on any other; yet even this is made 10
serve party aims. Land Reform IS
launched at the moment when II be-
comes desirable 10 divide and distract
public attention from Home Rule and
from the approach Of Civil War in u
ster SO is Naturalization Of the Rail-
ways; for an inquiry into which Mr..
George, whether the author Of the pro.
posal or not is Jointly responsible as a
Minister. Confiscation is a harsh word,