The sun., 1916-12-06
COALITION CABINET
WAS DOOMED FALL
Banding Together of Political
Enemies Viewed at Start
as Dangerous.
GINGER GROUPS ATTACK
1ncessant Onslaughts Have
Been Made on Ministry for
Its War Policies.

lieve that 1t was impossible for the coali-
ton Cab!net to pull together long.
Composed Of men who for years had
been violently opposed to each other in
politics: in each group Of whom were
ins,illed ideas which were at the end
OF the pole opposite the ingrained ideas
OF the other group OF men who had
shaken their fellow member In years
gone by to the very marrow In bitter
partisan speeches. It would have been
nearly n mira Gle II each would consent
to bow to the will. the policies. Of the
others.
With no enthusiasm Great Britain
greeted the announcement Of the lorna
ton Of the coalition Cabinet ~, May
Is. 1915. The bitterest criticisms had
piled upon the Liberal Cabinet and its
members. particularly upon the head of
Premier Asquith. The coalition Cabinet
was formed In the hope that all the big
political parties in Great Britain. be.
nj represented. would be satisfied with
the new Government
Netther Std0 Sat1e0eo.
Instead neither the Liberals nor the
Unionists were satisfied. because neither
was strongly enough represented. Add
to the partisan %discontents OF the party
men the attacks Of the so-cailed ginger
group" headed by Lord Northcllfe and
his string Of powerful newspapers and
magazines, and II may be seen that the
coalition Cabinet has had anything but
a CAIN existence.
When the personnel OF the abinet
was announced eighteen months ago
Great Britain appeared to give the i'm
preston that It was willing to try to
make the best of an unfortunate and
disagreeable necessity.
There were twenty-five msmbep In
the Cabinet Twelve Of these were Lib
erals, eight were Unionists. one was a
Laborite and one the late Lord kitch-
ener. wac non-partisan. Since its for
nation there rave been several changes.
Some have dropped out to be replaced
by others, while others a had their
posts changed. But In the main the
Cabinet a. 1t existed this week is the
same as when II was formed.
Mr.. Asquith. Premier since 1908. rom
'inued in that post Reginald McKenna.
Liberal. was Chancellor OF the Ex-
%chequer: Sir Edward Grey. Liberal.
Foreign Secretary: Arthur J. Balfour.
Unionist. Admiralty; Earl Kitchener,
Secretary for War David Lloyd George,
Liberal. Minister OF Munitions: er :.
Buckmaster. Liberal. Lord High Chan
cellor Winston Spencer Churchill. Lib
eral. Chancellor Of the Duchy of Lam
caster; Marques Of Crewe. Liberai.
President OF Council; Sir John Simon.
Liberal. Home Secretary \. Bonar Law.
Ubionist. Secretary for the Colonies
Austen Chamberlain. Unlopist. Secretary
for India Sir Edward Carson. Union
list, Attorney-General: Marques of
Lansdowne. Unlonist, without portfolio .
Viscount Curzon. Unlonist. Lord OF the
Privy Seal Walter Runciman, Liberal.
President OF the Board ~ Trade Wal
ter II. Long. Unionist. President OF the
Local Government Board Thomas Nc
innon Wood Liberal. Secretary for Ire
land Augustine Birrell. Liberal. Secre-
tary for Ireland Lord Selbourne.
Upionist. President Of the Board of
Agriculture. and Lewis Harcourt. Lib
eral. COMMISSIONS OF Works.
Line Up Of Parties.
As constituted last week the Cabinet
had twelve Liberals, ten tnionists and
one Laborite. Kitchener had gone; he
was drowned on June 8 last, and David
Lloyd George had been made Secretary
for War; Sir Edward Carson resigned
IN October Is. 1915. because he found
himself entirely out OF sympathy with
the other members In relation to near
Eastern policies; Winston Spencer
Churchill. Sir John \. Simon and Au-
gustine Birrell were out. Two new port
,folios had been created, Minister OF
Blockade and Minister of Pensions. Ar
thur Henderson. the Laborite. after hav-
ing left the Cabinet once, had accepted
this last portfolio in order to represent
the labor party In the Cabinet.
The attacks on the coalition Cabinet
have been bitter and continuous. Lord
Northcliffe, through his newspapers
waged bitter war against the Cabinet
and particularly against Premier As
quith, who failed TO answer the charges
and who did not squelch Lord North
cliffe's utterarces by "A display of the
broad powers he and the Cabinet ar.
permitted to exercise during war times
The Liberal Cabinet which guided IN,
destinies OF Great Britain during tn,
/, early months OF the war had been at
!. tackled chiefly in relation to the navy
1t was charged that the navy, Grea
Britain's strongest arm. was left mac
tINc Wu' ROipt anu ia USE v
1t would help the war situation mate
rally.
"Ginger Groups" Meaning.
The coalition Cabinet found itself at
tackled from all directions. Tho 'clnge
I group (so-called because II wanted IN,
Government to inject more ginger int,
its actions and display more force) 70
long demanded that a food controller b
, appointed to take charge Of the food sit
uation, The delay In appointing on
! gave the Cabinets critics tine oppor
| tunity.
The ginger group demanded that III
Government arm all merchant vessel.
/, fore and aft and abeam. with weapon
: large enough to sink n U-boat, The dc
! cision OF he United States that vessel
, so armed would not be Classed as mer
: chant vessels. but as warsh!ps, wa
: waived aside by the outsiders.
The ginger group did not believe tina
the Allies were showing a stern .noug
=, front to Greece In her lndeciaior
u Powerful action toward the King Of tn
- Hellenes, II was urged. would long ag
have placed that country on thE ride c
\, the Allies. Here was another Seapo
: used against the coalition Cabinet by tn
!. ginger group.
. They demanded that the Cabinet dl,
. cover some efficient method of combatin
. the Zeppelin raids against Englan,
They demanded that Balfour resign a
a head OF the Admiralty. And for month
" the Cabinet has been attacked because
n