The Washington herald., 1918-05-10
LLOYD GEORGE GAINS
SWEEPING VICTORY,
ACCUSING ACCUSER
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE.


press upon the House that his motion
for an inquiry by a select parliament
ary committee was not meant as CEN
sure of the government He asserted
If he wished to do that he would do
it directly, not in this roundabout
way.
.. He insisted on a select committee
because, he pointed out, a tribunal
Of two judges had no compulsory
powers.
Proposal Unprecedented.
The premier called the Asquith pro-
posal unprecedented in history" and
seized upon 1t to force the whole is
sue to q showdown.
The prime ministers arraignmsnt of
Maurice was crushing.
THE general said nothing to me.
He never told me he had made q mis-
take until I saw 1t In the papers. His
act is one OF fIagrant breach Of army
discipline as Mr.. Asquith himself has
admitted I
Gen. Maurice was a friend of mine.
He was in the house Of commons
when l made the statement. Surely,
before setting an example of in
discipline he ought to have come to
me and said:
Bitterness weIIed Up.
II think you should correct this
He didn't"
1t was at this juncture that all the
bitterness stored up in his heart
through weeks and months of a
oack-to-the-wall" fight against jeal-
ousy and intrigue seemed to over
whelm the prime minister. Still he
spoke in measured terms, with that
self-mastery Of a tried parliament
tartan. His voice seemed only slightly
raised when he issued his challenge:
am going to ask the commons
to judge the matter today. Since
threw myself into the prosecution OF
the war; l have been drenched with
cocoa press slop." (Note. This Is an
allusion to papers generally under
stood to be controlled by the British
Cocoa Trust.)
II the (Asquith) motion Is carried
Mr.. Asquith will again be responsible
for the conduct of the war"
Government strong.
Throughout the debate the govern
ment's side showed strong, thorough
ly united front. While this might also
be said of the opposition. there was
marked difference between the
methods of procedure and the argu-
ments produced by the two opposed
camps.
Lloyd George plunged into the offen-
sive from the very outset. From start
to finish he had the upper hand. Every
blow he answered by a counter blow
twice as sharp. There was no eyas-
iveness about his attitude.
stnI Aggressive.
II was this aggressiveness, a crush
ing surprise to those who had expect-
ed to see him in the role OF pardon
pleading sinner. that proved one OF
the most powerful factors in pushing
home his victory.
There were other strong elements
that counted clearly In his favor. For
instance. when he showed how easy
II would have been for Maurice IN
come to him privately and correct.
not the premier's but his, Maurice's
own. figures and statements--ond
when he told how he daily eame into
personal contact with the former d.
rector OF military operations, and how
tne general observed a sphinxlike Sd
lenee with regard to all these raatters
but then turned around, after his re-
moval from ofi1ce. and wrote a letter
TO the press-when the premier eiuci-
dated all this in his eloquent natur-
any dramatic way. he made our a
case for himself which even the pre-
Juoiced could not help but admit was
strong one. And on top Of an this
cilnching his argument, he sprang
the boomerang.
Inc figures are correct 1t Is Man.
rice. not ]. who is making misstat,-
ments." This. in substance. was his
Climax and it carried the day for
him.
As4aith Faits - Defend Maurice.
Former Premier Asquith at no
time uttered one word of defense
for Gen Maurice's action.
Gen Maurice" said the premier
at one point. never CHALLENGED any
OF the ministerial statements while
ne was in, once. i have been treat
ed unfairly. II was the eenerars
business to tell the cabinet that
they had made a mistake"
Mr.. A SOUTH was more than. anx-
ious to defend himself against the
impression that he was trying to