The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1920-01-05
POLITICAL CHAOS IN GREAT BRITAIN.

POLITICAL CHAOS IN GREAT BRITAIN.
While the war had yet to be won the two great
political parties in Great Britain had TO hang to-
gether in order to avoid the celebrated American
Revolutionary alternative of hanging separately.
Now that it is over all factonal restraint has been
removed, and the Coalition party, which is in office
and mainly Conservative, is fighting the Liberals
with all the bitterness Of friends who have fallen
out As a result the Labor party is making huge
gains at every special election and even carrying
seats that they would not have dreamed OF win
ming two years ago.
In fact the situation suggests nothing so much
as the triangular duer' in one of Captain Marry
ats novels. Only q few OF the more cooheaded
in either camp seem to realize that unless some
sort OF n peace, with or without reservations is
patched up between the former allies-the govern
ment supporters on the one hand and the Liberals
on the other--it is hard to see how Labor Min
istry, under Arthur Henderson as Premier, can
be kept from coming into power within a very
short time.
Most of Mr.. Lloyd Georges supporters, in the
House of Commons and outside 1t, are Tories
When the Welshman drove Mr.. Herbert FL. AS
quith out Of Downing street and moved in himself
the retiring Prime Minister retained his technical
leadership of the Liberal party. But there is no
present indication that the old party of Gladstone
Rosebery and Zimmerman will recover control in
the present generation or that it will prevent the
drift of it's own rank and file into the camp Of the
constitutional Socialists"
In the Parliamentary bye-election In the Spen
Valley district which was regarded as securely
Asquithian, Tom Myers. the Labor candidate, has
come out at the head of the poll receiving 1852
votes--an increase of 3,0OO-to 1924 cast for Sir
John Simon, formerly Secretary for Home Affairs,
and S,134 for Colonel Bryan Fairfax, a Coalition
Liberal who was backed by the government Even
in view OF a triple contest the Laborites had no
hopes Of success and are naturally in high state
Of elation while the other party leaders amazed
and pe-turbed-
AS it is in this case so It was the other day at
Bromley, where the Laborites, who had never put
forward candidate before. came within a few
votes Of victory. At Plymouth, in spite of the
great personal popularity of Lady Astor. the Labor
vote jumped from 5000 to 1900. At Rusholme the
Laborites polled 5000 votes, against their pre-
vious 5000, while at st. Adams their first candi-
date on record rolled up less than S,9OS votes,
which was almost unbelievable
There is similarity between what is happen
ing in Great Britain and what happened in Ireland
at the last general election. In the latter country
an extreme radical party wiped out the old his
torc Parliamentary phalanx that had been COM
manded in turn by Charles Stewart Parnell and
John Redmond The majority in the sister king
dom has not been represented in the House Of Com
mons since then, as Sim Fem refuses to partici-
pate in imperial affairs Of any sort
At the present time Mr.. Lloyd George Is in abso-
lutte control of the majority of the House OF Com
mons However, he is no longer political leader.
but stubborn. forceful and remorseless personal
ity. In fact. he is no more party man at the
present time than was william Pitt the Younger
when he got into the saddla The difference be-
tween the two is that the present Premiers back
ing is being down by constant atrition, while
the other "war Premier" grew stronger every day
inside and outside Parliament
warning to the old British parties may be
found in the Dominion Of Canada, where. In the
province of Ontario both the Conservatives and
Liberals have gone down in defeat before third
party, and a Farmer Premier and Cabinet and ma
iorfty arc firmly intrcnched in the Parliament
House ut Toronto.
It seems, then, IL the only way for the British
people to escape a Laborcum- Socialist regime.
with all sorts of wild naturalization projects. lies
in the sinking of present anmosities and the for
nation of q party of moderate men," such as
Colonel winston Churchill proposed some time ago.
But Judging from the present state Of mems
minds in King Georges realm such coalition
grows more difficult with every day that passes