The Washington herald., 1916-12-21
Lloyd Georges Reply.


David Lloyd George of Great Brit
ain.
To those visionaries, sentimental
lists and extreme neutrals who SEE in
1.-The present war only its horror and
to avowed paci6sts in all countries
there, may, be ray of hope for a
conference on the terms of peace.
, To diplomatists, however, the speech
of Mr.. George reads like an open
book.
he does not close the door to
conference, he rather invites an am
plihcation of its purposes from Ger
many, but not in one iota does he
recede from the position he assumed
many months ago and which has
steadily but surely made him today
the most responsible man in the
British Empire.
Mr.. George today is the British
people. He has been put in his high
place by a popular demand that the
war shall continue until Germany is
defeated. He is the creature of a
people who have acquired the war
habit. Britain breathes and lives the
war today. The resentment of Ger
many of years, pent up and subdued
and permitted to be pacifed by the
easy-going indifference of the aver
age Britisher's mind today is keener
and more intense than ever before
and will not be satisfied until the
central powers have paid the price of
their madness of 1914.
The war of 1914 is not to be set
tied by diplomacy. If Britain and
her allies were ready for peace, eager
for a cessation of hostilities and
anxious for a restoration of the
status quo, Mr.. Asquith would have
been continued in office, for with the
utmost friendliness for the cabinet
of Lloyd George it must be said
the Asquith government was far bet
ter equipped for diplomatic war
with the Teutons than is the present
government.
To those who have read history it
always must be automatic that the
British bulldog hangs on until he
has finished the job if the people at
home relish the task. Napoleon
overrode Europe for years. The
Kaiser's war on humanity has been
an unsuccessful imitation. The First
Consul subdued people after people,
wiped off the map kings, princes and
potentates, smashed armies and die
tated the politics of the western
world for years. But Napoleon
finally was defeated-and the British
lion accomplished the feat.
And so 1t Is today. While Lloyd
George Is in office he Is there to
speed up the war" He was put in
office to crush Germany. He is
maintained in office by an element in
British politics which demands Wig
orous aggression That he knows
this Is evident from his speech,
which, with almost brutal frankness,
recites the errors of his predeces-
sors. Bethmann-Hollweg and the
German note have not changed his
mind. His speech, from which Brit
aims reply will be drawn, invites
Germany to lay down her hand and
take her medicine. He desires to
know what terms the Kaiser will Of
fer and in the same breath an
nounces the most sweeping terms
ever enunciated by a belligerent.
The terms of peace to which Britain
will agree, if the consensus of edi-
torial expression can. be believed,
will be far-reaching and so humil-
iating to Germany that it will be
hard for self-respecting nation to
accept them.
Mr.. Lloyd George does not con-
cede to the Teutons the satisfaction
they seemed to take in their present
ShA oIS6AS ooPA SIAoSJ Ol lhS Aul u
pean battlehelds. Mr.. George de-
clines to let them believe that they
are going to keep on winning. He
points out that their defeat is inevi-
table for, he says:
"The triumph of Prussia would
leave mankind to struggle, helpless,
In the morass of horror. That is
why since this war began I have
known but one political aim. For
thatsI have fought with single aim.
That was to rescue mankind from
the most overwhelming catastrophe
that has ever yet mepaeed Its we'll
being"
The big factor discouraging those
who hope for peace and who attempt
to find a basis for their wish In the
expressions of the leading statesmen
of Europe is the indisposition of
either side to concede that it was
wrong, even in part.