Omaha daily bee., 1920-02-11
On Hiring Governmental
Heads
From the Minneapolis Tribune.

Is it better to employ the executive head OF
government on the basis OF a contract tor
hxed period or to employ him, SO to speak. bv
the day? Excellent illustrations OF the evils
possible under both methods may be found by
glaneing at London and Washington, rcspec-
lively = ..
In London there sits prime minister who
is employed by the day. Any week, any month,
he may be cavaerly dismissed Naturally his
first throught iii facing the, successive crises
that confront him, is to keep himself in office
He is responsive, .ScnStively responsive to pop
ular opinion, it is true: he is so responsive that
his very responsiveness largely incapscltates tor
definite action. Mr. Lloyd George has to exer-
else degree of dexterity, in order to dodge the
lungss of the eternal opposition, that sometimes
Ieave his observers fairly staggered He has
to sde-step, twist wheel and dodge to escape
his determined enemies, i'll manner that would
be Incompetent sble to an American president.
He dare not lay out broad, clean-cu fearless,
constructive program; his opponents would at
once rally to use it as club with which to
psuud him ont OF Office. So like an expert tailor
with. dsagreeaoe customer he tried on one
policy kind OF garment only to rip it up
sonal; everything quickly withdrawn: and the
result is that no garment at all is forthcoming.
+ What Mr.. Lloyd George does is not much
to formulate policy which will solve, once and
for all, a comma anding difficulty, but to put forth
an ambiguous program which will dissatisfy
Thus, his Irish program was regarded by close
students on the ground as no solution of the
problem at all. 'Unionists and Sim Feiners for
once united and denounced it i'll perfect accord.
But it served its purpose; it stopped the camor
for the announcement Of a policy, and. while
dangerous crisis. Similarly with his Russian
program Here he proposed simultaneously to
make peace and remain at war with the soviet
government. He. declared he. would Lift the
blockade and trade with Russia-not with the
boisheviks, but with the co-operatives. This,
extremists OH both sides Immediately pointed
out. was contradiction i'll terms Of manifest
absurdty. To trade with the co-operatives is,
in The ultimate analysis, to trade. with the boil
Shevsks. Yet once more Mr.. Lloyd George,
while accomplishing nothing, saved his face.
Tories, liberals and laborites united i'll perfect
unanilnity to condemn the policy; yet it was
not sufficiently drastic way the other to
outrage ANYBODY. "Dissatisfy everybody; out
rage no body; accomplish nothing" seems to be
the motto which it is imperative. in these
troublesome times, that British premier follow
ii he would stay III office.
When VIE turn> to Washington, we at once
perceive the diverse side Of the shield. In
Washington there sits a president WHO is hired
on a four-year contract. He ned not be sensi-
lively responsive to popular opinion. tle cam
not. for any normal error il statecrat be dis
charged. He is relatively secure to do what he
wishes, to formulate great constructive pro-
grams he sees fit Nic:ssitudes of mob feel
ing need disturb him not.
Ore might call such an arrangement ideal
Yet the evils tnat may arise from the employ
nient O. this method are we'll dramatizcd by the
situation row existing at the White House. The
president is SO unresponsve to popular opinion
SO secure i'll his possession OF his Office. that
he ob5tinately chngs to all untcsable position
which al overwhelming number OF his country
men reject. A British premier. in the same sit
u-.o,, would have been turned out long ago;
not 50 an American precedent The result is
that the United States government, on al issue
OF transcendant Importance. is deadocl,ed,
paray=ed. Nothing constructive can be ac-
con1pishcd; period OF regation has set in.
Both systems therefore, the British and the
American, may lead to the same end--futility.
Which is the better and which is tine worse in
the lorg run it would be difficult to say One
executive head is too susceptible to poular i'll
auence the other not sufficiently susceptible to
it. This, however, may be said: No two e:-
ccutiIes ever better illustrated the evils in-
herent in 5he two systems than the Woodrow
Wilson aid the David Lloyd George OF the past
few months.