New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-06-06

ENl
" snaieyN
when the time comes. 70 accent com
pulSorv service N place of voluntary
recruiting. which he has hitherto pre-
ferred.
Mr.. Asauth as Master.
So much for the immediate causes
of this Ministerial oyerturn. The
credit due - Mr.. Asquith for his
handing Of the whole business ought
not TO be stinted. His announcement
provoked mutiny among his own
nominal supporters who have several
times before broken into rebellion re-
belled now The difference is that
where before he has yielded he now
forced the mutineers 70 yield A
hundred Of them their full strength
held meeting a. once. Mr. As0uith
heard Of 70, came 10 the meeting. spoke
with that persuasive authority in
which he has no cqua,, and ended with
threat 20 resign Il they denounced
him. In that way this party cabal. en-
GlDeCred as party move e. ainst a
great national policy. was crushed.
But the truth is, coalition IS not liked
on either side. or by any group OF
party leaders Alone among his col
leagues Mr.. Asqulth saw that II had
become inevitable He put before them
the alternative Of reinforcing the Min
iStry from the Opposition and the
resignation Of the Ministry as a whole.
lie resumed tina; authority as Prime
Minister which he has too often laid
aside or left in allegiance. American
readers Will understand that a Prime
Minister Is. in theory. absolute master
IN his own Cabinet. He appointed all
IT'S menbe He can dismiss them
all, or any one OF them. But whether
he IS master IN fact as we'll as IN
theory depends on what kind of a man
he is: and often on what mood he Is
in. He may. and sometimes does, allow
himself to be voted down by his own
Cabinet. Nj Asquith has allowed
that on more occasions than one. II
he had put il to a vote, he would have
been beaten now.
But he saw two things: his Govern
mcnt crumblinG and the nation IN
danger So in THIS supreme hour ne
put party aside and remembered only
his patriotism. l. was the greatest
moment OF his life.
The Unionists.
The Tnionists. though offered
power. hated the coalition hardly less
Than the Liberals. 1t robbed them of
their irdependence. Il swept away all
party advantages in any conceivable
CONTINGENCY. Il brought them re
sponsibiities with. to say the least. no
corresponding power. II made them
the associates. the politica! partners,
Of the men whom they have denounced
consistently and in such matters as
the Parliament Act and Home Rule
rightly denounced as enemies to their
country. or a. least revolutonaries.
II destroys their power Of criticism;
Of which. 10 be sure, the Opposition
Leaders have made but scant use. But
with the Unionists, as with the LID
erals. patriotism prevailed over party
and they put everything else aside.
An Experiment.
on both sides Coalition is recognized
as an experiment. Il may succeed, and
il may not 10 man can tell. Dlsraelis
ENGLAND does not love coalitions has
been quoted a thousand times since this
latest and greatest OF coalitions was
launched. The political life OF the ma
;ion is bound up IN party government.
The formation Of a composite OdDlnet
bristles with difficulties. Who shall re-
sign. who shall come IN. how the great
posts shall he distributed; how any
thing like a balance OF power Is to he
ettained as between parties In the Cab
met itself these are but some Of the
obstacles 20 the creation Of new
homogeneous Government out OF dis
cordant materials. But at least " IS
an honorable. as well AS an Imperative
effort. Il aims at complete unity, IN
the country and the Government, for
the better and more energetic prosecu-
ton Of he war. II II fails but faI-
ure would mean disaster. OF when no
Englishman and no friend Of England
can think without horror. u. W. :.