New-York tribune., 1919-12-08
Lloyd Georges Error

In speech at Manchester on
Saturday Premier Lloyd George
made plea for the maintenance of
the present system of coalition gov
ernment in Great Britain. "Na-
tional unity" he said, "vital in war,
is equally vital in the securing of a
sound peace"
BY national unity Mr.. Lloyd
George meant, of course, coales-
cence of parties. The British record
is clear in that respect. Early in
the war the Liberal Cabinet abdi-
Gated and was replaced by Cab
met representing all elements in the
House of Commons. 1t is evidently
sound policy for the British to con-
tinue the union then formed until
the peace settlements are out Of the
way
The British Premier drew false
analogy, however, when he intimated
that the failure of the United States
Senate to ratify the Wilson draft of
the covenant has been due to pre-
mature revival of American party
activities. The United States has not
abandoned the coalition theory at
this critical juncture. 1t couldn't
abandon it, because no coalition was
effected here. The minority party
in the last Congress favored coali-
ton Public opinion also favored it.
When we entered the war we had
before us the example of party union
set in Great Britain, France and
Italy. But the President ignored
that example. He was unwilling to
admit the opposition to a share Of
power and responsibility. He pre-
ferred to conduct the war on the old
party basis.
In October, 1918, he made his
famous appeal for the reelection of
Democratic Congress. He put for
ward the plea that though the Re-
publicans in Congress were "for the
war" they were "against the Admin
istration." He said that he would
be hampered in making pezce if he
were to become accountable in any
way to Republican House and SEN
ate. He argued that his own pres
tige abroad would be shaken if he
were compelled to take notice of the
views and desires of those elements
in the country which didn't unre-
servedly approve has leadership.
The voters responded to this chal-
lenge by electing a Congress Repub-
lican in both branches. The issue
of partyism was thrust on them.
They had to face it. But the Presi-
dent, after inviting verdict on his
own leadership, refused to be guided
by the expression Of the nations will.
He went to Paris in person, studiedly
ignored the new Senate, which was
empowered to pass on his work; con-
suited nobody but himself, and pub
licly boasted that he would bring
home a treaty which the Senate
would have to ratify whether it
wanted to do so or not
The failure of the Wilson treaty
has been due not, as Mr.. Lloyd
George seems to think, to a sudden
recrudescence of party strife after
its submission, but to an effort on
the Presidents part, lasting all
through the war, to govern exclu-
sively as a party leader. He jour
neyed to Paris under unusual cir
cumstances, which were not suffi-
GENTLY appreciated by the Allied del
} egates with whom he was to deal. He
} was leader who had lost the sup
port of the people for whom he
spoke. Lloyd George, Clemenceau
and Orlando could not have appeared
; at the conference after an election
had gone against them. The pecu-
, liarities Of our constitutional sys-
TEN blinded them to the fact that
Mr.. Wilson's credentials were diff
ferent from their own-and that by
his own acts he had prevented this
country from suppressing partyism
and achieving a wartime coalition
of parties.
The British Premier said at Man.
chester: "Peace has been leopard
lied and the league of nations is put
in peril in the land which took the
most prominent and distinguished
part in its promotion" This state
ment is based on the erroneous
assumption that the head of the
American delegation at Paris was
speaking for a majority in the
United States. He was, in fact,
speaking for minority, and his