The sun., 1918-09-29
Britain'S Forthcoming General Election
Endorsement of the Lloyd George Regime
Probable and Many Cabinet Changes
Are Likely to Follow

for the struggle continued Tor fully
eighteen months afterward, until the con-
flict was finally determined in favor Of
Great Britain by the late Lord Kitchener.
The only analogy between the election
of 1900 and that which is now about to
occur is that the appeal to the country is
made in war time and that it is therefore n
so-called khaki election. In other respects
it is quite different.
When Balfour went to the country
eighteen years ago it was with the support
and the backing of the entire Unionist
party, an elaborate electoral party ma
chine and a well filled campaign chest.
Lloyd George, on the other hand, is facing
his countrymen at the polls without any po-
litical party machinery or campaign fund.
He is appealing to the electorate-the
vastly enlarged electorate as the
recognized head and standard bearer of
the Conservatives, of the Unionists, of the
Liberals, the Radicals, the Laborites or
the Nationalist, but purely and solely on
his own record in the present war and on
the strength of the belief Of the bulk of
the people of Great Britain that he is the
man qualified above all others to bring
the fray to successful issue and to pro-
tect the interests of the British Empire in
the negotiations which, following the final
defeat of the Central Powers, will deter
mine the future fate of the nations of the
world as well as their territorial bounda-
ries, and make provision for lasting
peace.
Appeal Is Without Precedent.
Such an appeal to the electorate is with
out precedent in the United Kingdom.
No statesman that / can recall has ever
sought the mandate of his fellow citi-
zens as Premier solely on his own record,
on his own personality and entirely ire
spective Of political party. 1t is bold
stroke which in times of peace would be
simply suicidal. In the ease of Lloyd
George, and in the present war, it seems
not only assured of success, but also the
only thing to do. 1t is difficult to find
any alternative.
1t is not that Lloyd George is so per-
sonally popular. In spite Of his wonder
full magnetism, with which he is able to
sway at times the classes as well as the
masses, be is a subject Of a considerable
amount of prejudice and has many enc
mics.
They include Conservatives, especially
the territorial aristocracy, titled and UNI
titled, who regard him as revolutionary.
Then there are the Liberals, who charge
him with pronounced leanings toward tn,
Tories. The Cnionists insist that he his
sacrificed them to his old time Liberal
friends, while the Liberals in turn accuse
him of deserving and throwing overheard
their chieftain, ex-Premier Asquith, and
Of pandering to the Unionists.
Labor assails him as being guilty OF a
despotism worthy of an autocrat; while
the Nationalist accuse him of breach Of
faith for having failed TO provide for
the immediate application and enforce.
ment of the Irish home rule law, which
after being enacted by both houses OF
Parliament and receiving the sign manual
of the sovereign was placed on the statute
book more than four years ago and has
remained there ever since-a dead letter
Yet with all this against Lloyd George
he is bound to win at the polls, not be
cause he is beloved or wholly trusted, but
because his countrymen, no matter how
much they may personally dislike him
are firmly convinced in their own mine
that he is the only statesman capable OF
guiding the vast British Empire to vie
torious conclusion of the present war.
There is still another reason why thu
British people will give their mandate t'
Lloyd George few weeks hence at TIN
polls. They appreciate the fact that evel
since he became Premier he has beer
hampered-the word is not stong enoug'
by his dependency upon the Liberia