The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-12-07
bonar Law. With Premier's
Place Of Power In His Grasp.
Tells King He viii Not Act
new MINISTRY A
COALITION BODY
Man Who Has Created Eng
lands Great Cun.Power Has
Won Greatest Triumph Of
His Meteoric Career

London Dec 6.-David Lloyd
3eorge today is virtually prime min
ster OF England. Having administer
I'd the knockout blow to Premier
AsQuith and the coalition ministry.
Great Britain's war minister this az
|ernoon accepted King Georges prof
er to act as the shaper of new gov
rnment. He would "endeavor to un-
(ertake the task" he announced.
Thus. the former chancellor of the
fxchequer, long looked upon by Eng
and's masses rs the empires strong
Dsttman. emerged victorious from one
pr the most bitter and at the same
Fime most suavely fought combats re-
forded in Britain's annals.
First-last Ssturday-he forced the
blast OF the long avoided political
bomb by issuing his ultimatum 10 the
government: Drop Asauith from the
Var council and reconstruct II or I'll
fesign"
The threat wo. ed immediately and
Effectively. Asqui. stood pat on tho
var council proposition. Rather than
|nbmit to the indignity OF being ig-
bored. as prime minister. in the plan
hing Of the great moves that are to
let.de the war, he said he would re-
|ign.
Could Spare Asquith.
Then resign was the implied
answer OF has royal mT ster. Evidently
ksauith could be spared-Iloyd-
George could not Meanwhile the lat
t~ XII cautiously in the back
sround
.v84a an extremely dexterous
ne r ipu!ation of public and official
opinion tie impression was provoked
hat not Lloyd-George but Bonar Law.
la Agnn5th Ha
aresa.er resign.
Neither the war minister nor the
ninister OF colonies-the two are
Nose friends-Said a word Asauith,
Evidently certain that the lesser of
kwo evils would step in his place.
Felinauished
Then came the surprise. the knock
fut blow. Bonar Law, summoned to
3ucking ham Palace by the King this
afternoon. came out. not as premier
luf as one of the few men in Eng
ands recent history who have turned
town the prime ministry and the in
eumbent task or forming a new gov
ernment
Taoyd-Ieorge Summoned
Less than an hour later Lloyd
George fastened TO the Palace at the
Almmons of the King He left as AS
uuith's successor.
All this. with the exception OF As
auiths resignation. happened after a
lengthy conference between the King
md the leading political lights of the
United Kingdom. 1t was an eleventh
hour attempt to patch up the differ
entes that led to the crisis. 1t failed
utterly. The War Council. about
which the whole situation revolves
was, In Mr.. Lloyd Georges opinion
too big a matter for the nation to
tnterfere with the collapse OF the tot
kering coalition government.
Incidentally. IL was announced that
the new ministry. too, will be a coali-
kkon body.
At the futile conference in Buck
Bingham Palace were. besides Asquith
and Lloyd George, Bonar Law. A. J.
Earl OF Derby.
Bonar Law Declines
The latter was the only one not
touched by the certainty Of the coali-
.kion governments debacle. He was
|optimistic to the last He assured
nAHspaper correspondents that he he
|ljeved II possible to bring about an
agreement that would save 1t. But
that was before Bonar Law. who
|throughout the forenoon enjoyed the
|dt1fiuction of being called England's
|rrSm,er in glazing headlines not only
n England but wherever the British
|cable could flash the news. had proved
That he held the office only on paper.
iThe difficulties OF reconstructing the
|cabinet, he had told the King. were
such as to prompt him to request to
|bo excused.
4 That left the center OF the stage to
i loyd George. He tonight Is sur
rounded by the halo of the greatest
triumph OF his meteoric career.