El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-11-06

OCCUPIES THE
BRITISH STAGE
Great Drama in Real Life
Is Being Enacted by Pc
litical Powers.
PEOPLE DIVIDED
ON THE QUESTION

2 ONION. Eng. Nov. 6.-~Conscrip-
ton or Voluntary Service" is the
IL title Of the great drama which
continues to attract the attention OF
the entire British nation
The chief actors and. from the view
point of the anti-conscriptionists. the
villains of the drama, are two OF Great
Britain-s most powerful men today
lord Northcliffe, the millionaire news
paper king, and LLOYD George, the ora
tor from Wales, who probably viii be
come the successor Of premier Asquith
il conscription becomes the Jaw Of the
Behind these two men stand prac-
tically the entire Tory or Dnlolls-
party, which has endorsed the ques-
ton of ccnscripton perhaps as tLle
only means through which II mas any
chance of regaining its vanished 20
litical power. Al the side OF 10y
George, who snort time @So -
radical and an adversary OF colsctLp
ton. stands Winston Churchill the
most daring and ambitious man IN Ems
land. who also aspires TO the preIille
ship, and several prominent l-iogi - -,
These men insist thar 70 win the WI
England must have conscrlpuon' auo l
that this is the only talr. the cAeaFss'
and the most efficient system
Opposition Is strong
On the 6DDosite side stand the sreat
masses Of the Liberals, headed 1y tle
strong, silent premier Asqulth- IN tL-lss
camp, too, strangely enough, you my
also Arthur James Balfour. the IeaI
leader of the Conservative party, ana
many prominent Conservatives ike ioto
Hugh Cecil. These men fear tnaI com
Dulsory military service may Issllt ~
domestic strife they assert Inat N
volunteer system is better suited 70 lle
Anglo-Saxon temperament and that II
will continue TO produce the nuIaDe4
Of recruits needed, as always oe ,.-I <
Still. they are all willing 10 enoorSe
CONSUMPTION should it become urgently
necessary The same opinion IS he4u
by lord Kitchener - .
The Government itself consists on q
stronger party. favoring conscription'
and q minority opposing IT, Enlle =
third faction. approximately as 81 eI.7
as the others combined, IS WllIlhs 20
endorse CONSUMPTION should the mn
tarv authorities con sider II necessir+
TO win the war In the Eect ulll-l5 49,
mission appointed by the government
there is majority Of one vote IN
labor PARTY Holds Balance.
What max the situation more oll-
ffcult is the fact that the lelt WLns u
the Liberal party mas deelareu va hss
the knife against .cOnscriptl apo hes
the support of the 81 irish &alloAat-
lists An almost Impossible posltto1 p
held BY the 40 members OF Ine i-'tuuL
uaTrE. VINO nO44 Al4E HdAA--Ars
and who represent over 5,eoVeyv o.
- nfzed WOrkingmen. In the white not
furnace of Afoloch the deeply rooled
antfpathy against conscript1on or LIlese
men has lost all shape and color anG'
with the exception Of few 1mpiacaoIe
members of the Independent LABOR par
~ thew will vote for conscrlpIlon
should this be necessary to win the
Agafnst themselves. however. they
have the 100000 men who voted them
into the house Of commons and VINO
will oppose any form of compulsory
What the labor unions fear IS that
conscrfption after the war may become
a weapon that may be turned against
themselves in case OF strikes
The man in the streets, as usual IN
England. has not formed any definite
opinion though were compulsory serV-
ice to be made the issue OF general
election il probably would he defeated
on the other side any real danger OF
4 German invasion would Immediately
result in a universal clamor Tor con-
scription.
ever. that a man like Lloyd George, IN I
4 country where personality means
more than anywhere else in the world
aided by Churchill. may carry through
because 1T IS necessary 70 +
win the war" and IL is very significant Z
that not a single II. P has declared
nat he will oppose conscription under
all conditions.
Would Become Permanent.
Il should be remembered that con-
scription in England would relate 10
industrial as Wen as purely military
work
As for the latter. il viii become either !
a permanent institution or a Temporal
~ measure TO safeguard the country l
during the war and II II be adopted I
in its temporary form all males be
tween 80 and As years Of age will be
ordered out for service in the country /
while all me nbetween IS and 30 will ]
be sent TO the front first
Another scheme is 10 call out all men /
between 19 andes for service on the /
continent, and all men between So and 4
50 for home defense. Of unmarried ]
men between 10 and 80 there are $780, .
200 of whom all those not already 4
lnder the colOTs would be sent to the ;
front before the married men. who I
number about $500. 900.
It is almost certain. however. that I
If adopted temporarily, /
Till become permanent.
Politically it would mean Tejuvena- /
ion to the anaemic Conservative party I
md a complete modification Of the I
program of the Labor party. which i
night be compelled TO make permanent. /
hat which was adopted merely tenn
lorarily, the defence Of the country /
hove anything else, even the question /
II working hours and wages. which
would necessarily create a split in tho I
larty.