The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1918-11-15
ENDORSEMENT Of
BRITISH LEADER
ELECTION ISSUE
Conditions Most
Chaotic in English History
as First Battle Of Ballots
Since ArmiStiCe Approaches

LONDON. Nov. l5.-The issue in the
coming elections is whether the country
will indorss Lloyd Georges proposal that
tho present coalition government, with
himself as premier, shall be continued
after the war for the work of making
peace and carrying on the labor OF re-
construction. Never before were Brit
ish political conditions as chaotic as
today. The war has shattered old party
lines.
The electoral reform bill adopted by
a parliament during the summer OF
1917 virtually doubled the number Of
voters. 1t gave the ballot to all women
over 80, men over q and soldiers under
q. This added six million females and
two million males to the voting lists.
How the women will vote n what par
ties the soldiers will support none can
predict.
The prospect of plunging the country
into the excitement and expense OF an
election at such a time as the present
has excited strong opposition. On the
other hand, the legal life of the present
house of commons expired three years
ago and 1t has extended its own tenure
Of office from term to term by resolu-
llOllGs L HE Il bCCH Gil "a iA'NA FHN
ceeding, which would have been impos-
sible except that it had the Endorsement
Of public opinion. because none wanted
an election during the great war.
As the new voters will be entitled to
take part in choosing the government,
Lloyd George has before him the diff
cult task of trying to keep together thai
majority of the conservative party
which supported his wal measures, n
enough liberals to give him a balance OF
power. The decisive factors Will be
how many liberals will follow him n
what policy the labor party will adopt.
Herbert H. Asquith remains the OIL
cial leader of the liberal party, while
Mr.. Lloyd George is a free lance with
out any party organization or party
funds behind him. He wishes to con-
tinue the political truce which all par
ties declared at the beginning Of the
war, and trusts to the slogan that he is
the "leader who won the war to at
tract votes.
The program of his followers is appar-
emily to nominate Lloyd George liberals
in all districts where the regular liberal
candidates will not indorse the pre-
mier's platform. If this is carried out,
Il means a split in the liberal party,
which will have to decide whether the
Lloyd G~eorgians or the Asquithians con-
troll it, How many candidates the labor
party will nominate and how many votes
it will muster is an uncertain element;
So far as Ireland is concerned the
election probably means the almost total
disappearance Of the old nationalist par.
ty Of Redmond and Dillon from West
minister. The Sim Feiners are expected
to sweep Southern Ireland, but the
members elected by the Sim Feiners
always refused to take their seats.
In addition to trying to hold together
his conservative and liberal supporters,
Mr.. Lloyd George is trying to reconcile
the Asuuith faction. Mr., Asquith could
have had a high seat in the present cab
met II he would nave accepted it. There
were two obstacles, however, home rule
and protection. One of these the con-
~seryatives will not have and the other
is objected to by the liberals.