The Washington herald., 1922-04-03
European Hopes Threat.
ened by Fight on Pre-
mier, Gibbs Says.
ENEMIES SEEKING
GENERAL ELECTION
Sway of English Leader
Wanes as Party Chiefs
Open Fight.
By SIR PHILIP GIBBS.

" rhBidHu altcr an aDScnce Oi
nearly three months I find the pub.
lie mind Of Britain under the pres
sure OF an intensive campaign OF
propaganda in preparation for the
general election which will not be
postponed later than the early sum-
mer.
That Is to say that from this time
until then, when the issue will be
decided. the minds OF the people
will be subjected to every trick OF
psychology for the stirring up OF
passion and prejudice which clever
politicians and pressmen have
learned to use for political pur-
poses. They have made an elaborate
science OF 1t. They know the art
OF suggestion and the power of re-
iteration. They can inject the
poison of suspicion with the subtle
ty OF Iago. They have the craft OF
appealing to the lowest passions
OF The mob while appearing to
call to its noblest instincts. Tn
der the disguise of impartial argu-
ment. solemn and inspired with the
calm consideration of world facts,
they are already distorting the
truth and falsifying history itself
in order to warp the Judgment and
common sense OF the general pub
lie.
Propaganda Holds Sway.
Sincerity has been abandoned
False passion. not believed in by
those who are most violent. has
been substituted for reasonable dis
cussion. At a crisis in history when
the fate of Great Britain itself and
that of all the world depends on a
scientific handling Of immensely
complicated problems by the best
wisdom of the country. all reason
has been thrown to the four winds
by political propagsndists for the
sake Of the old game of party
strife.
Until the election Is over and
done with. common sense, as far as
II may be expressed in political
oratory and political writing. will
not have dogs chance any more
than IL does during a Presidential
campaign in the United States or in
a political conflict in France. It
is one of the penalties and inherent
difficulties of a democratic govern
ment based upon the will of the
people. for that will is wooed. ca
joled. bullied. spell-bound and hyp-
Noticed by those who have studied
the tricks of psychology in relation
to the mind of the crowd. Those
who can play most skillfully on the
subconscious or underlying emo
tions of the mass mind-who can
appeal most directly to its current
impulses and raise into a party cry
the strongest instinct of the mob
at the moment of election-win the
political victory. and all elections
and propaganda preceding them
are directed TO this psychological
achievement.
Political Battle Centers on Premier.
Fortunately the mind of the pub
lie Is subjected to other influences
beyond that of politics and press.
and is to some extent educated by
its own experience, by all sorts of
other pressures and conditions of
life, by certain ideals and convic-
tions growing within its own con-
sciousness, so that it is able to put
up some resistance to falsities of
argument and twistings of the truth
1t is upon the measure Of that re-
sistance that the progress OF reason
depends. The political conflict in
Great Britain centers- around the
personality of one man. Lloyd
George 1t Is a question as to
whether this magician can safely be
discarded by those who use his pow
er to control the forked lightnings
of the world storm. They made
bargain with him which was COM
promise between their faith and his.
For the sake of his magic spell
over the spirit of the people, they
did many things they hated doing
in Ireland. and left undone many
things they desired to do in India,
in Russia and in their own country
with labor. 1t was the Unionist
party. the old Tory party. which
made this bargain. And in return
the magician swallowed some of his
own creed, his own radical hre and.
playing to the Liberal party like
the pied piper. drew them after him
into a coalition, where they also had
to do a good deal of swallowing of
ancient ideals and principles be-
longing to their former faith.
Magic Loses Power.
Only few Independent Liberals.
led by Mr.. Asquith, the prime min
lister who had been cast overheard.
when the magician had been put in
command Of the ship, remained
loyal on an isolated raft to the faith
of their fathers which they pro-
claimed while the waves rolled by.
The coalition worked we'll during
the war, when party politics and all
other differences of temperament
and ideals were overwhelmed by the
immense necessities of that strug-
gle of life and death. 1t held to-
Eether in spite of many strains
when the establishment of peace
was being settled. The magician.
like a little Mephistopheles. was
still necessary because only he
seemed able to control the raging
tide of world passion. But now
when the tides have abated some
what the need cfLloyd Georges par
ticular and peculiar magic does not
seem absolute. And the old differ
ences Of temperament and purpose
between those who made the bar
gain of compromise have become
acute again and irtolerable. That
was only possible under