The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1916-12-07
David Lloyd George May be Asked by King
to Form M!nistry-Muddle is Presented
Over War Council Formation.
ALL PRECEDENTS
Are Broken in Present Tangle
Over Government--War
Policy at Be tom

ton of King George to direct
the formation of new minis
try, and the king then sent for
David Lloyd-George, who. like
Mr.. Bonar-Law, informed the
sovereign of the difficulties he
would have to face if he un-
dertook the construction of @
cabinet.
This afternoon the king ini-
tiated negotiations in the hope
of composing the difficulties
among the members of the As
quith administration, Mr.. AS
quith and other members being
summoned to Buckingham pal
ace. They and other members
had been in conference with
the king some time before Mr..
Asqufth, on receipt of the in
formation that his presence was
required, hurridely left to join
them.
London, England.-The Westmin-
lister Gazette says that Arthur Bonar-
Law has declined the invitation of
the king to form a new cabinet and
that the premier or David-Lloyd
George will be called on.
The Exchange Telegraph company
says it has authority for the state
ment that Bonar-Law has declined
officially to form new government.
The king has sent for Lloyd
George.
Public Is Anxious.
The public is anxiously awaiting
with the greatest interest the next
step in the political crisis. Ordinar-
lily, the selection by the king of a
leader such as Mr.. Bonar-Law to
form a new ministry would be taken
as solution, but from the first there
has been some doubt whether the
unionist leader could succeed in the
task assigned to him, or whether he
would command the support of the
majority in the House of Commons.
The Nationalists who withdrew
their support from Premier Asquith
because of his failure to carry out
the agreement made with Lloyd
George for putting home rule into
force, it is Indicated, are hardly like
ly to form a cabinet of which I'm
ionist leader was the chief and which
would include Sir Edward Carson,
leader of the Usterites.
Later Mr.. Asquith was summoned
to a conference of ministers at
Buckingham palace.
Whether LloydGeorge, whose ac-
tions led to the disruption of the
coalition government and the resig-
nation of Premier Asquith, would
have any greater success in forming
q ministry than Mr.. Bonar-Law is a
question which has not been
Political correspondents predict
that Mr.. Asquith will be back at the
head of government before many
days. He takes the majority of the
Liberal ministers with him in his
retirement, Mr.. Lloyd-George being
assisted by the support of only Her.
bert Samuels, home secretary, the
minister of munitions, some of the
junior ministers and the small sec
tion known as the ginger group"
1t is not believed probable that
Mr.. LloydGeorge would have any
more success with the labor members
than did Mr. Bonar-Law and par
correspondents say that
the attitude of a large part of the
Unionists is doubtful.
After hearing Lloyd-George, he
offered the premiership,
King George summoned other minis
ters to the palace.
Labor Backs AsQuith.
Another difficulty is presented by
the Labor party, whose leader,
George Wardle, has announced the
intention of the labor members of
the House of Commons to support
Mr.. Asquith. They are meeting TO
make Q final decision.
The Manchester Guardian, which
generally voices the attitude of the
provincial members, expressed the
opinion that Mr.. Bonar-Law was
more likely to form a cabinet which
the House of the Commons would
support than Mr.. Lloyd-George, and
added that there was no reason why
Lloyd-George should have any am
billions for the task.
The Guardian declares that Lloyd
George in letter to Premier AS
quith took the stand that man
could not act as both premier and
member of the war council, sitting
morning and evening on war prob
lens"
Crisis Came Last Night
The government crisis found a
solution last night, which up to the
hour of its announcement, was con-
sidered the least probable of practi-
cal alternatives
Herbert H. Asquith resigned the
premiership, which he has held
through eight stormy years of do
mestic and foreign history. The un-
ionist leader Mr.. Bonar-Law. was
summoned to the palace Immediate
ly after Mr.. Asquith had departed
and the king offered him the prime
minister's commission, which he