Imperial Valley press., 1914-05-26
John Ward Talks
On British Politics
(By Ed l.. Keen)
IBy I'd i. heeHJ
Gondon Correspondent of the United
preSs)

Press)
London, May 26.-"So long as King
George does not step outside his con-
stitutional rights he has the safest
throne in Europe, but should he throw
his Influence on one side or the other
of a fair political fight, then"
If John Ward were not a member
of parliament he would probably have
completed the sentence. But at that
he was "going some," for the average
Britisher, even in private life, is ex-
ceedingly punctillious in his observa-
tion5 regarding the throne and its oc-
cupant. His reverence for the insti
tuition is ordinarily sufficient to curb
his criticisms of the individual, no
matter what his personal attitude to-
ward the latter may be. The big,
burly Liberal-Labor member from
Stoke -on-Trent, towering above his
fellow parliamentarians in the lobby,
was talking with the United Press
correspondent, just at the foot Of
Gladstone's statue, about the present
precarious political situation in this
country growing out of the Ulster
row.
Ward, who began life as navy
on the Manchester ship canal, is the
man who, on the floor Of the house
of co. IN ons during the debate prccipi-
tated hy the ref.tal of army officers
to se~ ye IN Ulster, made the momen-
tous declaration:
"We have now to decide whether
the people through their represen-
tatives in parliament ar teo make the
laws absolutely without interference
either from king or army"
Liberals, Laborites and Irish Ma
tionalists arose in their seats ano
shouted their approval. Not since
the days of Cromwell had the walls
of Westminster echoed similar cheers
against the king.
Since then Ward has received thou
sands of letters expressing approval
of his stand and indicating a tre-
mendous undercurrent of the same
sort of sentiment that centuries ago
burst forth in answer to typrannical
rule.
"Mcst people in England" he OBJ
served to the correspondent, "prefer
a limited monarchy-so long as it is
strictly and severely limited. The pro-
gressives of the '70s were republic
ans, but nowadays even Socialists are
royalists. But if King George should
undertake to interfere in a big po-
litical crisis the republican spirit Ia
tent in this country might readily
burst forth"
Ward himself is as loyal to the
throne as an institution as any of the
members from the opposition benches
who dubbed him "traitor" He much
prefers "royal president" to a re-
publican president.
Given if England wanted repub-
lican president" he remarked, 1--WE
would sorely be puzzled whom to Sc
lect. Since 1885 I have known only
one man who could have filled the
post, and that is" Here he pointed
to the figure of the Grand Old Man
"and even he was too much concerned
in active party politics to have been
entirely satisfactory"
Explaining his attitude in the army
crisis, Ward said:
"The country was faced with one
Of the gravest problems that could
confront nation. The question to
be decided was whether the discipline
of the army was to be maintained,
whether it was to continue to be a
neutral force to assist the civil power.
or whether in the future the house
of commons, representing the people,
was to submit it's decisions for an.
proval to committee of officers-a
military junta.
eve were face to face with a dec
laration of absolutism. The rights for
whicn democracy had struggled for
ages were threatened with destruc-
tion. A manifesto had been issued
by the Syndicalists to the enlisted
men Of the British army urging them
to remember that officers had exer
cised the right to judge when thev
would and ubay, +bo,, ,,,o,,Il 4