New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-07-29
By ARTHUR S. DRAPER

Nv AN III ~ .. DNEA AA'
London, July 28.-No government can
be stable after three years Of war.
The Lloyd George government Is no
exception. The British Premier Is full
of courage, a man of great imagination
and vision, a magnetic speaker, an In
defatigable worker. He Is big enough
to change his mind; he is alive enough
to sense popular opinion while there is
still time to regulate his course. He
knows when to fight and when TO re-
treat.
Comments on Lloyd George range
from one extreme to another. l have
heard him compared favorably with
Lincoln; l have heard him described as
political Raffles. The French admire
him more than do many Of his own
countrymen. If he lacks any OF the
! qualities of great statesman and pop
ular leader they are those OF patience
and the ability to concentrate.
Lloyd George has warm supporters
md bitter enemies. Between these two
! is big and important body OF opinion
Labor. as a whole, must be included IN
| this middle class. His supporters ad-
NIT Iloyd George has made many mis-
takes. and, unfortunately, these mis-
| takes have chiefly affected labor. Some
were errors of omission and some OF
commission; some date back 70 pre-War
DAYS. some are recent. JUST no" !he
LLOYD George government Is grahViHs
many concessions, most OF theui W
labor. More beer will be brewed' the
price of tobacco is to be reduced the
| theatre ticket tax is being lowered, the
Premier has promised to Keep the PLlee
| of bread within the means OF Worh!is
people even if he has to draw on 'ne
| Exchequer. These are only d It" VI
! the concessions. ;, Tho
arswsr Is simple. He must counterac'
es tho war drags on. Granting conces-
s;ons ia like taking morphine; the big
co. The dose the greater the next ono
49, he Fortunately for LLOYD
George. conditions in Great Britain arc
no different from those in the other
belligerent countries; In most respects
thew are much better. Though II 10
SION of weakness to make concessions'
the danger 4, minimized when q similar
situation exists In other countries. BE-
fore considering the causes OF unres'
political and economic--it may DC
worth while to look at the compost
tion Of the government.
Ilovd George heads q coalition gov
eminent of which some eighty members
| If Parliament are members. IL mas
drawn heavily from Conservative ano
| Liberal ranks, with the result that IN
the House of Commons there Is no real
! ouposition. Mr.. Asquith plays an IN
consequential part; he neither oo-
.tructs nor assists Lloyd George; he is
a neutral. Runciman, Mckenna ana
some other members Of the late gov
! ernment are obstructionists. the In
dependent Labor party, which includes
Snowden and Macdonald. is openly
hostile. as are all the pacif1sts. Inc
newspapers and periodicals represent q
wide range Of opinion, but few OF them
are consistently loyal. "The Mornina
post" is extremely critical; "The Daily
News" "Ths Daily Chronicle" Tine
Westminster Gazette and "The Man
chester Guardian" invariably support
the Liberal opposition whenever II
acts: the NorthcliHe press, "The Daily
Exn1essS and the daily Telegraph
arc generally friendly to the govern
ment; Massingham's Nation, 1T
Labor World "The Herald" and "The
New WHness" could hardly be classed
as government organs. the Engllsh