The Washington times., 1916-01-07
ASQU|TH REG|ME {.
AT CRITICAL STAGE
Hostility Of Labor Toward Con-
scription and Dardane||es
Failure Threaten Britain.

LONDON, Jan. The government :
position is most critical today. Faced
first by bitter hostility of labor to-
ward it's conscription bill. the cabi-
net 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 con-
demning tie conscription bill. edito-
rial denunciation of the government s
Dardanelles policy. and the debate in
parliament last night preceding the
first vote on conscription.
Gen. Ian Hamilton's final report on
the Dardanelles campaign, frankly as =
cribing the British defeat to the gov
ernment's failure to send re-enforce-
ments, was printed in the mornin &
papers today. The opposition news
papers seized upon 1t as another basis
for editorial attack on the Asquith
aolnistry, using the Lloyd George ac-
cusation. 100 late"
powerful men Of all parties, how
ever, are ccminS to the governments
assistance to prevent a. general cleo
tion in the midst of the world war.
The conscripti"n crisis THAI threatens
cabinet upheaval at@the same time
Is welding together many discordant
groups in parliament in support Of
the .Asqnith ministry. Some OF the
most bitter opponents of conscription
are using their inflcnco to stem the
talk OF general election, believing 1t
might have serious effect upon Eng
lands fortunes in the war.
ION the other hand several leading
supporters of the government declare
they would welcome general election.
'ThaHy holia1n h. ,o,ll Ind,
conscription by overwhelming majori-
ties and return the Asuuith ministry to
power armed with vote OF confidence
that would stifle the opposition for thet
balance of the war
Another source OF qualification to the
governments supporters today was the,
fact that opponents Of the conscription
policy rallied only 1O5 votes on the first
reading of the bill. to 403 for the gov
ernment.
The resignation from the ministry Of
Arthur Henderson. labor member. and
two other labor officers. an under
secretary and lord commissioner Of thel
treasury. revived rumors that other
cabinet members would quit. though the
reports were not generally credited.
Railway Strike Hirted.
Admittedly one of the most serious
Factors in the whole situation was the
thiniy yelled hint, dropped by Prcsi-
dent Bellamy. OF the railway mena
union. that railway s,Ilhu might fol-
low an attempt to enforce conscrption.
Bellamy declared at the labor congress
that compulsion was a direct blow at
organized labor, and said It might
arouse passions that even the Kings
government might not be able to op-
pose
Both the Daily Mail and the Daily
Telegraph expressed the view that r.
general election almost certainly will
FOLLOW. as a result of labor's opposition
TO conscription
The consensus of opinion among
members of parliament. notwithstanding
the labor vote. is that a vast ma jority
of the people Of the country favor com
pulsion.' said the Mail. THE govern
ment may take advantage Of the labor
vote to obtain the mandate OF the coun-
try and so dispose Of criticism. Some
members Of the government believe that
a nelection Is inevitable. and also that
1t Is the best solution of the difficulty.