The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-07-25
Premier Waiting for Chance
to Appeal to Country,
Says London Times
is NOW HAMPERED
BY THE COALITION
Demand for Strengthening Higher
Ranks of the Army and Home Ad
Observation-Disclosures to Have the Ma
tional Spirit Expressed.

ministration-Desire to Have the Ma
tional Spirit Expressed.
LONDON, July 25-The Times in AMI
editorial on ''The Prime Minister'S Po-
sition' takes for granted that there will be
a general election in the late autumn. The
unrepresentative and apathetic character
of the present house of commons, it de-
clares, is admitted, and the government
needs strengthening and consolidating. 1t |.
says:
Lloyd George has certainly had alum
dant evidence lately that no prime minis |
ter in these momentous days can exert his |
proper authority without complete indie
pendence of party bargains or of anyi
other hampering personal tie. We assume,
at any rate, that he has, in fact, decided
TO make his appeal to the country when
ever the circumstances of the hour permit
the fullest possible representation Of tue
new electorate"
Pointing ont that the next parliament
may have in its hands the completion OF
victory or, at any rate, may have control
. of the war at the moment of supreme and
critical importance and that all efforts ard
sacrifices of the four long years will de-
pend upon its character, the article pro-
ceeds:
/ Already there are signs of feverish &C
tivity on the part of that little section
most unrepresentative of the real temper
of the country-which suggests that peace
a can be won without fighting for it or that
D the noble ideal Of the League of Nations
can be made to do duty for victory.
Frankly, 'pacifist' journals are appeal
ing week by week for candidates and
4 funds. A great proportion of the pros
I Ipective candidates of the newly consti-
: tutcd Labor Party are themselves drawn
t from that type of Liberal doctrinaire
+ which has the least in common with the
), British nottingham and has never faced
n as he has the hard realities of the war.
e I'm other parties there are sympathiz-
t ers more or less disguised. Even in the
d government itself. to Judge by the incred-
ible difficulties of securing a free hand
/ from enemy influence, there men
e fwhose zeal for the national cause. with
r all that it involves of further sacrifice. is
z half hearted and irresolute.
L "Nr. Lloyd George, as we have never
? donbted, is ont to win the war That is
his first and greatest claim to his proud
position The trouble is that, partly
through the inherited handicaps of eoali-
ton and partly through his own temper
g ament. he has never yet made the fullest
use of it. He has often seemed more anx-
ious to cajole dangerous tendencies than
e to defeat them The choice, even OF hrs
d u minor colleagues, has been matter OF
= conciliating the opposition of men who
: should never have been his colleagues al
all.
- Ills old program of social reform
u which was made infinitely more urgent
y by the circumstances of the time. has
= been thwarted and whitfield down by re
y action He himself would like. we believe
= to move further and faster in a matter
:. y where reaction comes from a different
- quarter, namely, the final eradication OF
~ enemy influence from our social and eco
!; nomic life.
! eIn both cases far too much Of his time
y has been spent in looking over his shout
nc der for political difficulties inside or out
: side of his government He has never beer
; the master in his own house in the sense
:, for instance, in which President Wilson
- is undisputed master: and though the cir
cumstances and traditions are wholly diff
ferent though the American system /
plainly more effecC,ve than ours as so
luton of the problem of a democracy al
war, he has scarcely realized how much
ed power the British prime minister may
or constitutionally WELD.
he Lloyd Georges reorganization of the
IL cabinet was formal step in the right di
oil rection. The next step must be to elimi
IL nate the handicap of compromise of par
in ty bargain, and to secure for govern
nd ment of unimpeaehable determination the
On backing of an equally resolute parliament
4 4
o. ernment, as we believe that he can if ht
will, he has two immediate tasks before
him: The first is to set out in unmistaka
BILE language the objects for which he
of claims a mandate He must tell us pre-
e., cisely the policy for which he stands IL
IS the war and reconstruction.
is ct need be no extensive program, but
IT, it must be definite and thorough. Their,
IN must be no loophole in it for. compromis'
ed with any half-hearted element in the com
munity no room for a backstairs bargain
nd with defeatism and reaction.
lis Gle cannot, in any ease, escape all oppo
to sition. The essential point, both for him
k self and for the country, is that he shoul,
le range himself finally and beyond all ques
o. ton with that robust national spirit which
Iplaeed him where he is. Ia
81 I. THE second task before him is to maxi
an end once and for all Of obstruction an,
Incompetence wherever the last two year
of have revealed them No one knows bette
than he where these obstacles are to b.
found The civil service, including es
L. pecially the Foreign office, is full of them
ng and drastic process Of retirement am
he promotion in it is long overdue.
he "The higher ranks Of the army nee'
of strengthening in cases which are notoriou
1 4 ~. IL L. IL =.
ne the administration vast array of mis-
u ceilaneous talent include by this. time
" large contingent of men who are palpa
al. bly, worn out or were never equal to tn
.ct work. The small war cabinet itself, wher
NV individual values are less easily judged
MS contains too many passengers.
Il | I'VE believe ourselves that the priln