New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-12-31
Lloyd George Is
Amazed at Great
Victory at Polls
''Result Astounding,' He
Says - Agreement With
President Wilson Is Char
acterized as sMomentous'
By F. A. Wray

Special Cable Soruicc
LONDON, Dec. % delayed TT is
an astounding result; 7 had not an
tcipated any such success" said Lloyd
George to-day, referring to the result
of the elections. The Premier spoke
very softly and earnestly, as If scnsi-
bic of his heavy added responsibility
lie also indicated how deeply he felt
regarding the accomplishment Of two
great achieveme nts-one personal and
political, the other the international
success in coming to an agreement
with President Wilson. Referring to
That the Premier used the emphasizing
word "morncntous.'
The election result led to the raising
OF the question regarding the person.
rel OF the British delegation in the
reace conference.
Lloyd George remarked joculally
that he had not so far selected any
other delegates, for the reason that he
had not been sure previously that he
would be one himself Now, however,
he himself and Balfour are certain to
go to Versailles, but Bonar Law VIII
not, because he is leader in the House
OF commons.
Lloyd George Paramount Dictator
The result of the election is to Ol&ee
Lloyd George in the position of par;.
mount dictator of Britain. 1t was pot
a victory, but debac!e for the or
ponents of the Lloyd George govern
ment-a landslide unprecedented IN
British politics.
Lloyd George has clear majority
Of 235 over any combination of other
parties
1t is difficult to describe the sensa-
ton the election has caused here. Her
bert II. Asquith, the greatest paria-
mentary figure Of this generation, has
been thrown out by majority in the
district for which he so long held q
seat in the Commons. 1t - probable
that every one of his old associates in
the government, which entered and CON
Quoted the war until November, 1916,
has shared the same fate, including
tormer Chancellor Of the Exchequer
Mckenna; Walter Runciman. former
head of the Board of Trade; Sir John
SIMON, sX-Attorney General, and for
mer Home Secretary Herbert Samuel.
With them have gone Arthur Hen
derson, Labor leader and former mem
Der of the War Cabinet, and Philip
Snowden and Ramsay Macdonald, lead
ers of the pacifst section Of the Labor
party.
The entire former administration
has been torpedoed Not single
member survived. A similar fate at
tended the women candidates, although
Chrlstabel Pankhurst and Mary Mac
Arthur came near victory.
Labor seems on this occasion to
have fought against itself in many
places, notably in the shipbuildng dis
trlct OF Sunderland, where Hamar
Greenwood, Coalitionist, polled 90 900
votes against $500 for the Labor can
dldate. Against straight Labor candi-
dates the Coalitionists were successful
except in the solitary instance of Bar
row, where Charles Dundan was de-
feated by the narrow margin of TWEEN
.y-one votes in poll of 80 600
Premier Is Upheld
1t is, impossible to explain or ac-
count for this election. 1t is useless
to say that only half the electorate
voted or that results were due to the
soldier vote for the Coalition or the
absence thereof, or that it was the ef-
feet of the new woman element. One
act remains: the country has gone
solldly for Lloyd George and the Coali-
tion, whether due to the winning of
the war or the Premier's promises re-
Garding the war, or distrust of any
alternative government.
There were two interesting side
features 70 the election. The first was
.he way in which the Sim Fem swept
Ireland as typtied in East Mayo, where
the Sim Fein leader, De Valera. polled
1915 votes to 4,614 for John Dillon.
Nationalist leader. The second was
swinging of a large majority to Hora-
TO Bottomley, sef-styled "Unoflical
Prime Minister" who through his Jour
nal John Bull" yields a large in
Huence among the rank and file of the
British arn,v