The New York herald., 1921-02-27

he does not look on the Irish situation
with either Earl Grey's or the Arch
bishop of Canterbury's sensitive ability
TO distinguish things clearly. And II
is here that the Sim Fein's own violence
spoils the chances of the ordinary citizen
to see things as Earl Grey or the Arch
bishop of Canterbury sees them. In
deed. the man in the street so far is
content TO believe that the reprlsals
however horrible they may have been.
were justified by the stnn Fein murders.
This represents the desperate game
Premier Lloyd George and the Sim
Fein are playing at this moment. Pre-
mier Lloyd George believes he can wipe
out the Sim Fein before the British
public is aroused to the horror of the
methods employed. The Sim Eein be-
leves that the horror win prevent the
Government pushing it's policy through
to the bitter end
II is reported here tnat the Sim Fein
are now willing to accept the dominion
home rule they would not take last
July. but the Premier Is no longer will
ing TO grant that now. He calls atten-
ton to the fact that the third party in
ireland. Ulster. has already accepted a
settlement. 1t Is fact that Ulster ex-
ercises al this moment particularly
SINISTER Veto power III o. lTiSn aIIdiIs
Ulster believes with Premier Lloyd
George that they can lick" the Sim
Fcin.
NorthcIfffe Opens New Batteries.
In addition to the denunciations of
the Governments Irish policy by Earl
Grey and the Archbishop of Canterbury.
this weeks incidents. particularly the
reinstatement of the cadets implicated
in the looting of Trim, have at last
aroused Lord Northcllffes newspapers
to use the conditions obtaining in Ire
land against the Government. something
they have never done outright before.
The British press. expressing the
popular attitude rather than supporting
the Government. has. with two or three
exceptions such as the Manchester Guar
dian and the Daily Neos,% hitherto
printed much less Irish news than havs
the American country daily newspapers
The attracting of the attention OF men
like Earl Grey to the Irish situation.
plus the greater publicity that Ireland
is almost sure to receive because the
attention these men command, may mean
just the flllip that will overturn the
Coalition.
1t Is notable that the present growth
of the Opposition comes as much from
Tory as from Liberal ranks. But 1t
will have to continue to grow until it
can supply an alternative policy and an
alternative man to the Lloyd George
policy and the Premier.
The economic situation is next mem
acing. There is little disposition to ques-
ton the attitude of the Government re-
garding German indemnity. but wnen
once the indemnity is settled Premier
Lloyd George will have to solve one Of
the most difficult problems of his career
how to collect the indemnity without
injuring British industry.
No man here questions Premier Lloyd
Georges herculean results In helping to
win the war. However. many persons
now question the methods by which he
cajoled his old Labor friends into back
ing UP both recruiting and production.
He gave promises regarding standards
OF living which Labor Is now endeavor-
ing to collect. Labor may at any time
an internal Industrial crisis
that will involve the Government and
yet so powerful is the Lloyd George
Coalition machine that no observer will
predict whether the new Government
would go to the right or to the left
Grand Test Coming In June.
All these questions. however, probably
are subsidiary to the great test that
Will come at the time of the conference
Of the Prime Ministers of the empire
here in June. In the light OF the new
Of the British Empire. In
which the self-governing dominions ap-
pear as equal partners with the mother
Premier Lloyd George will be
examined to see whether In fact he Is
a Tory or q Liberal. But even there
the conference would have to determine
whether the future course Of the British
Empire was to be Tory or Liberal; and
Premier Lloyd Georges position will be
one In which he will be able to climb
aboard whichever band wagon then
seems most sure to draw the crowd.
Therefore, II the empire conference
cannot provide better man than Pre-
mier Lloyd George. he probably will go
down In history as the single states
man who survived politically both the
war and reconstruction.