Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1921-03-11
LLOYD GEORGE II.
FACES ATTACK.
His Agreement to Use
Force Makes His Posi-
tion Critical
NO ESCAPE SEEN
Opponents Call Lloyd Georges Work
-. N,g
NO ESCAPE SEEN
Opponents Call Lloyd Georges Work
a Complete Failure-French No.
Optimistic

---------
London, March 1.-THE surrende
/ of the London conference to the prin
ciple of using military forces to col
| lcct German indemnities brings Prem
ier Lloyd George to the most crit
! cal point he has yet reached in hi.
career as would be world pacifactor
Lord DAbernon, his Ambassador tc
Berlin, remains unflinchingly opposed
to the French ultimatum, and at ont
time on Sunday he had argued thu
Prime Minister over to his way Of
thinking that the Germans should be
given more time to prepare counter
propositions instead of driving then
into a corner under an impossible
time limit.
Lloyd Georges opponents call his
work at the London confidence a
complete failure. Following the
San Reno, Spa and Paris parleys, the
Premier's reputation for political wiz
ardry encouraged the expectation
among his countrymen that ne would
evolve some way of fulfilling his
promise to make Germany pay, if not
"the last penny" at least something
substantial toward meeting the out
lay and losses of the Allies.
Both in Paris and London Lloyd
George struggled in vain against the
relentless don,inatisH of TPremic'
BRAND and the French military party
In both instances, when it came to
the touch, he surrendered bag and
baggage. NJ. BRAND made it plair
at both conferences that if the
French policy were repudiated France
would take her own independent line
of action and. face to face with this
contingency, Premier George put up
his hands.
He might have been prepared tc
take the responsibility of refusing tc
follow France but for the fact that
it meant the sure defeat of his own
Government by Tory votes in the
House of Commons. Foreign Secre.
tary Curzon, it also is believed, wouIo
have resigned forthwith and dlsso.
luton hardly could have been avoided.
! There is good authority for saying
that even the French militarts' opin,
:on is anything but optimistic that
enforcement of the military and
economic sanctions will get money
out of Germany, but it will satisfy
.he French policy when their failure
affords a basis for still further coer-
zion and greater extension of the
occupied zone.
The enforcement of the 80 pei
cent, deductions from the value OF
German exports, the British Prem
ier's own pet project, is not believed
to be practicable except by means OF
renewal of the blockade of Ger
many and even then Germany coult
defeat by stopping production.
This is the situation in which Mr..
IIoyd George finds himself after twr
wears of fruitless and bootless efFor1
to enforce financial retributior
against Germany on scale which ht
was warned by both his own ant
American financial experts at th'
| Peace Conference never could o'
made effective.
7 London, March 1.-THE decision:
of the Supreme Council were dis
cussed in the Commons yesterday
Main interest centered in duel be
tween John Robert Clynes, Labo
member and former Food Controller
| md Premier Lloyd George.
| Mr.. Clvnes in behalf of the Labo
Party challenged the Premier
change of attitude in having prevl
ously declared that rearations wer
only possible and now agreeing I
economic position and now agreeing t
military coercion, policy whic
could only mean greater unemp!oy
ment, greater debt and greater taxa
ton.
Mr.. Clyncs contended that the Al
les acted precipitately in refusing t
,rant Germany delay to make fres
proposals; he thought they Nigh
have invoked the aid of the Unite
States as arbiter in matter of tn:
/ kind.