Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1916-01-07
BRITISH CABINET
FACES CRISIS IN
BITTER ATTACKS
Under Double Fire Over Con-
scription and Dardanelles
Failure Charges.
LEADERS TRY TO PREVENT
A GENERAL ELECTION
Hint of Railway Strike Over
Compulsory Service Bill
Causes Alarm.
by the United Press.


LONDON. Jan. THE governments
position Is most critical today. Faced
first by bitter hostility of labor toward
it's conscription bill, the cabinet found
itself also under heavy fire because of
the Dardanelles failure.
The London press divided space to-
day between accounts of the action
of the National Labor Congress in
condemning the conscription bill. cdi-
torial denunciation of the govern
ment's Dardanelles policy and the de-
bate in Parliament last night, preeel-
ing the first vote on conscription.
General Ian Hamilton's final report
on the Dardanelles campaign. frankly
asorlbing the British defeat to the
governments failure to send rein
forcements he asked. was printed in
the morning papers today. The on-
position newspapers seized upon il as
another basis for editorial attack on
the Asquith ministry. using the Lloyd
George accusation, too late
Powerful Men Aid Government.
Powerful men of all parties. how
ever, are ccminG To the governments
assistance to rrevent a general cleo
tion in The midst of the world war.
+. The conscription crisis that threatens
cabinet upheaval at the same time
is welding together many diseordant
groups in Parliament in support Of
the Asquith ministry.
On the other hand, several leading
supporters of the government declare
they would welcome a general cleo
tion. They believe the people would
indCrse conscription by overwhelming
majority and return Asquith TO power.
Another source of qualification to
the governments supporters today
was the fact that opponents of the
conscription policy rallied only 10)
votes on the first reading of the bill
to 400 for the government.
The resignation from the ministry
of Arthur Henderson, labor member,
and two other labor officers, an under
secretary and lord commissioner OF
the treasury revived rusnors that
other cabinet Inenlberss would quit,
though he reports were not generally
/ credited
Threat of Railway Strike
Admittedly one II the most serious
factors in the whole situation was
, thea thinly-ye.led lint, dropped by
President Ballar,y. OF the Railway
Mems Union, that railway strike
might follow an attempt TO enforce
conscTip.iou. Bei my declared at the
lai'er congress tia oompulsion was
q. direct blow at oIganized labor and
said It might arouse passions that
even the kings government might
rot be able to- oppose"
Both the Daily Mail and the Daily
/ Telegraph today expressed the view
that a general election almost GER
tainly will follow as result of labor's s
opposition TO conscription.
The consensus of opinion among
members of Parliament. notwith-
standing the labor vote, is that a vast
ma ajorlty Of the people of the country
favor compulsion," said the Mail.
THE government may take advantage
of the labor vote to obtain the man
date of the country and so dispose of
criticism. Some members of the gov
ernmcnt believe that an election is
inevitable. and also that it is the best
solution of the difficulties"