Evening star., 1921-07-25
Editorial Digest
Lloyd George and the Press.


The boycott" of the Northcliffe pa
pers for their attack on Lloyd George
as a possible representative at the
disarmament conference is regarded
chiefly as spite" affair of small
town" quality by the majority of the
American, press Most of the Ameri-
can newspapers, while they hold no
special brief for their British col
leagues vicious articles, as one pa
per calls them, find little sympathy
with the premier's attempt to check
the freedom of the press" AS to
the merits of the controversy itself,
opinion is divided as to whether
Lloyd George would be welcome as
Britain's delegate in Washington: :.
"A free press nowhere will submit
to the kind of tyranny" says the New
York World (demoCratic), which Lloyd
George has assumed. land public
opinion will never excuse the official
efforts at intimidation of which the
prime minister has been guilty" and
which "he will live to regret" The
cratic) feels that the London Times Is
right in saying that the premier has
sought to strike blow at the ast
safeguard of popular liberty" but the
attack upon his alleged purpose OF
coming to America as a participant
in the disarmament conference Will
probably strengthen his intention of
doing so. for. it adds. he is not in the
habit ''of retreating under fire.
The Chicago News Independently
thinks Lloyd George must have lost
his head" and, while it considers the
Northcliffe utteranceS abusive ana
vituperative," the premier's prestige
will not be enhanced by this misuse
Of power. The Baltimore News tln-
dependent) also advances the theory
of wrought-up state of mind ana
suggests that it may indicate that
the coalition is on such shaky
grounds that he is clutching with the
unreason Of terror at any straw
with which to put down his crltlcs'
or perhaps his recent honors have
given him IAN exalted sense OIL MS
own vast Importance
| An exhibition of petty spite IS
what the Columbia State (democratlc)
calls the incident. due. perhaps to the
fact, says the Baltimore Sun tnde-
pendent democratic), that his nerves
are getting a little out of order" The
Hartford Times (democratic) calls
him "touchy," but adds that "all those
who believe that in free speech ana
a free press lies the safety OF demo-
cratic government must make vls-
orous protest. much as they may SYM
pathize" with the premier's politics.
On the other hand. the Quincy w mig
Journal (republican) remarks: Those
who are forever proclalmlng that
Great Britain is a Simon-pure deHoc-
racy will have lots of explaining 10
do about press censorship over there
and over here
The Boston Transcript independent
republican, sees "a pretty triumph
for Lord Northcliffe. and hints that
it might prove embarrassing to the
~
sufficient in itself TO bring about lts
fall
The Times editor. says the Charles
ton News and Courier (democratic)'
may know many things to the dis
credit of Mr.. Lloyd George, but hrs
testimony as to the premier's unfit
ness will not carry great weight OUT
side of Britain" and americans
would rather deal with him than with
any other Englishman.
A few writer's take the stand that
criticism of Lloyd George as repre-
sentative at the disarmament confer
ence is justifiable. The Johnsto"n
Democrat (democratic). for instance
thinks that "Americans distrust MN.
The feature of the discussion most
Interesting to Americans" the Buffalo
Express .(independent republican, de-
clares, is the reasoning on when
Northcliffe bases his opposition 10 the
appointment of Lloyd George ana
the foreign minister, LOTu NutIon' oS
delegates. 1t continues:
He compares their plan with the
course of President Wilson IN going
to Paris with a delegation submissive
to his personal ideas at time when
the elections already had begun TO
show that the Wilson leadership was
not representative of the majority
opinion in the country. Mr.: Wilson
brought home a program Whlcn the
country would not support. Lord
Northcliffe argues that the same thlns
lis likely to happen to Lloyd George
and Curzon if they attend the WASH
ington conference. He says that re-
cent by-elections have shown that the
present ministry is tottering."
The New York Times independent
|democratic) also examines TINS phase
of the question, but does not commit
itself to agreement with the North
cliffe view If the conference sue
ceeded it points out, the premier
could turn to his opposers with
smile and say, Bring on your gen.
eral elections whenever you please.
The whole controversy appears to
the New York Post Independently
in more humorous light. 1t
remarks: The league of ma
ticns which recently passed judg-
ment on the ownership of the Aland
Islands as between Sweden and Fin
land. might look into this question OF
whom do the British islands belong
to. David Lloyd George or Alfred
HarmSworth?