New-York tribune., 1918-05-12

perpetuated in office. The overfowing
venom of a dozen years Of envious
impotence had to be damned for the
country's sake. Conservatives and
Liberals alike had to get behind AS
quith to win the war.
Asquith, however, suffered from
tcmperamental disability as a war
leader. He was an exceedingly pleas
ant old gentleman, kind hearted to
fault, liberal, far-sighted, broad
minded; but he was essentially
master Of the art Of compromise and
committed to that policy by lifelong
tradition and practice. Long before
the war he had been dubbed "Wait and
See," and there was no change after
the war came.
Only very short time elapsed be-
fore Asquith was in trouble with his
compromises. The newspapers pounded
him and demanded strong man. And
out of the ruck came Lloyd George,
looming constantly larger and larger.
He was the man who did things. He
was the man who laid down a policy
and fought for 1T to the bitter end.
He was the man who went call out"
for prohibition SO that the working
men would work six days a week and
seven, if necessary, instead of spend
ing three days drinking up the unac-
customed earnings of the other four.
He was the man who demanded a Min
istry Of Munitions and went ahead and
established it, He was the one man
of resource and action English politi-
cal life of any faction could point to-.
Hence when Asquith fell, as he had
to fall--there was no getting away
from it-Lord George became Pre-
mier. Six months before he took office
he had been chosen by the country as
the man for the place. There was no
second choice. 1t was Lloyd George
and Lloyd George only "The little
Welsh solicitor" carried the hope of
England -- Conservative, Liberal and
Labor. Personal feelings were sunk
for the sake of strong man at the
head Of the government.
Whole Country
Well Pleased
In the beginning Lloyd George or
ganized his government with ma
jority of Conservatives as his COL
leagues in Office. He succeeded also
in persuading labor to depart from
tradition and party law and accept
place in the Cabinet, while the holes
were filled up with Liberals. The Con-
servatives were highly pleased. They
pointed out that the new Premier had
seen and bowed to what they called
the undoubted will of the country.
Labor felt that it had granted great
concession and took consequent salts
faction in its magnanimity. The Lib
erals accepted the situation and con-
fined themselves to unembittered dis
cussions as to whether they or the
Conservatives held the more important
posts in the government.
Mr.. Asquith went back into the
House of Commons as the leader of
the opposition, taking his seat on the
front opposition bench, and for time
under him opposition was confined to
occasional gentle criticism tempering
consistent support of the government.
He was praised on all sides for his ex.
ceedingly high minded attitude, and
everything worked with the utmost
smoothness and harmony, with the one
snd of winning the war.
| 1t was not long, however, before
politics began to seethe again. Lloyd
George was accused on the one hand
OF becoming more conservative than
the Conservatives, and on the other
OF seeking to organize a new party
under his own leadership to continue
his rule after the war. The opposi-
tlon in the House Of Commons took
r.
form and began to grow into some-
thing real The long period Of COM