Evening star., 1919-12-26
LLOYD GEORGE DRAMATIC
IN HIS SPEECH ON IRELAND
House of Commons Sits Wrapt as Welch
Orator Outlines Government Pro-
posals Regarding Irish Questions.

rather weak, and sometimes Slightly
husky. Did he triumph by rushing
overwhelming eloquence? No. ht
halted many times and occasionally
seemed momentarily to stammer
| Again and again he consulted nj:
notes. fixing his glasses each time
| and Dondering over his memoranda
| deliberately.
| Was there something massive ant
overmastering about his personafi-
ty? Not to my mind: he seemed to
| me to be a remarkable man, n very
gifted man. but not in any sense q
massive man. Has he histrionic wiz
ardry? Some of the art of the actor
he undoubtedly has, but his histri,
onic gifts surely are not great;
| cal, them indifferent. Wherein. then
did lay the secret of his force, his
persuasiveness. his domination of this
big and highly critical audience?
As | saw it. 1t lay, in the intensi-
ty of his mentality, in the unmis-
taxable moral ardor, in his sincerity
David Lloyd George is the Georges
Carpenter of the European parli-
amentary arena. His blows are
flashes and he loves to deal them. His
intellectual foot work is unequaled.
/ Leaving the pugilistic for a pisca-
! torial simile, David Lloyd George
against a slow witted debater is as the
catfish to the carp. ;.
Reflected Determined Effort.
Now what of the substance of the
speech? In my view it reflected the
most determined and the most intelli-
gent effort in the history of British
politics to solve the Irish question.
It's hardest ringing note-a note twice
sounded with significant vehemence--
was that of Great Britains resolve to
maintain the strategic unity of the
British isles. This note was not only
sounded thus, but it was received with
an acclaim nobody could mistake.
Great Britain does not hold Ireland out
or pride of possession Or love of rule;
her Irish policy is dictated by the
national instinct of self-preServation.
This the world and especially America
should understand.
whoever seeks to separate Ireland
from Great Britain must figure upon
meeting the British empire. English
men. Scotsmen and Welshmen desire
that Ireland shall have the fullest pos
sible measure of self-government and
the fullest possible unity upon which
her opposing sections can agree, but
they will not surrender the physical
guaranty of their own existence. More
over. they are bent upon stamping out
assassination and disorder in ireland
I'VE shall do this" said an influen-
tial Englishman to me last highland
he has fought for Irish autonomy all
his life-"even if we must make a
desert of Ireland The Americans
have had their Sherman's march to the
sea; we shall have ours in Ireland, If
necessary, to destroy treason. anarchy
and assassination there. l do not say
this to be provocative. I say this
because it is the truth, and the world
should know the truth"
Finally. Premier Lloyd Georges
analogies between the new scheme of
Irish government and the constitu-
tlons of the United States and the
British attracted great attention. 1t
was seen at once that this element
of resemblance should exercise a
beneficial effect upon the fate of the
BILL lrishmen live contentedly under
the governments of the United
States. Canada and Australia. Since
these 1rishmen. it is argued, pre-
sumably like the American and do
minion ideas of constitutional prac-
tice, why should Irishmen in Ireland
feel drawn to the principles of the
new bill?