The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1918-12-12
BRITISH WAR SERVICE
LEGISLATION TO LAPSE

LONDON, Dee, l2,-Premier Lloyd
George, speaking Wednesday at Bristol,
said the English military service act
was passed In order to meet a great
emergency. When that emergency was
passed the need was passed and the
act would lapse, He added there was
no intention to enc 1t, Whether
Great Britain would, require conscrip-
ton in the future in n shape or form,
Lloyd George said, depended not upon
the opinion which he now expressed, but
upon the peace terms which NeTe made.
Continuing, the prime minister said:
What drove us to conscription was
the existence Of conscrlpt armies on the
continent that inevitably rushed the
world into war. They could not have
great military machines there without
tempting the men at the head of them
to try their luck with those machines,
The Germans always felt there was
nothing to resist their perfect military
machine.
III you want a permanent peace; II
you want to prevent the horrors OF this
wal being repeated you must put an
end to Conscript armies on tho conti-
nent Of Europe.
Must Kill Consumption.
1.-THE first thing to do Is TO prevent
the repetition of blunders OF the past
by making it impossible to have those
| great conscript armies in the future.
I'VE did not have the machinery for
| an offensive war. Dur navy Is a defen-
sive weapon and not an offensive one;
and that Is why we do not mean to give
! it up. We have kept these ISLANDS free
from invasion for centuries and we
mean to take no risk In the future
Lloyd George declared that the de.
cision which would be taken in the next
few months In the peace conference was
going to leave a mark upon the world.
The ages to come, he said, would be
able to reap the fruits Of it.
The premier next dealt with the Ques-
ton Of indemnity. He declared the war
had cost Germany less than It had cost
Great Britain. 1t had cost Great Brit
ain, he declared, $4,000, 000, 900; a gi-
gantic sum, The German bill, he be-
lieved, was 10000, 000, 900 or $1,000, 000,-
900. de contended 1t was indefensible
that the person who was In the wrong
and had lost should pay less than the
person who was declared to be in the
| right and had won.
Commission Named.
The premier said a British imperial
| commission had been appointed to in
vestigate the capacity of Germany Ito
| pay), and that he had received its re-
port, He summarized his remarks on
| this point as folloWs
"First-As far as justice Is concerned
we have an absolute right to demand
the whole cost of the war from Ger
many.
"Second-We propose to demand the
whole cost of the war from Germany,
"Third-When you come to the exact
ing OF 1t we must exact in such a way
that 1t does not do more harm to the
country that receives 1t than the coun-
try that Is paying 1t.
"Fourth-The commission appointed
by the British cabinet believes that
that can be done,
~"Fifth-The allies are in exactly the
same boat. We shall put in our de-
mands all together and whatever they
are they must come In front OF the
German war debt
To Protect Allies.
The prime minister continued:
"The first consideration in the minds
| Of the allies will be the interests Of the
| people upon whom the Germans have
made war and not in the interests of
the German people who have made war
and have been guilty Of that crime"
with regard to the former German
emperor, the premier said:
''rhere is absolutely no doubt that he
committed a crime against international
right, and there is absolutely no doubt
that he ought to be held responsible
for 1t so far as the European allies are
concerned"
The premier said he hoped that Amer
lea would take the sarne view when
President Wilson arrived as to the de-
mand that would be put forward on the
part Of the European allies ito make
the kaiser and his accomplices RESPONSE
BILE for this terrible crime"
Referring to a letter said to have
been written by a British general to a
French general in which the British Of
ficer was quoted as saying it was pro-
posed to establish a British national
army Of 20 divisions, based on con-
scription, but that the cabinet would
not touch this until after tho elections,
and not then until this league of ma
lions nonsense had been discussed at
the peace conference" Premier Lloyd
George declared:
1.-THE cabinet never heard of the
scheme. So far as the cabinet Is CON
cerned, 1t Is purely an expression of