New-York tribune., 1922-10-20
Lloyd George Dynamic Career
Fills Dramatic Page IN History
Defeat Of Asquiill Which
Won Premiership for the
Fiery Welsh Statesman
Was Climax Of Meieoric
Climb Into Public Favor

4 y
One of the most dramatic and mo-
flentous events in tie history of tho
British government daring the World
/ War was the attack of David Lloyd
i George upon Herbert II. AsGuith, the
| Prime Minister, on December i, 1915,
threatening to resign his place as Sec
retary for War unless the Prime Min
| istcr would place the conduct Of the
war in the hands of a committee of
four, of which Mr.. George, but not Nh.
Asquith, e. auid be q member Mr..
ssorge had won so much popularity by
his energetic work as Minister of u
nitions and Secretary for War that
Mr.. Asquith did not venture to oppose
him and incur the peril Of Cabinet
crisis and the odium of losing his most
popular colleague, and so after some
haggling he resigned the Premiership
and WAS succeeded by his former col
league.
At this time Mr.. George was already
& veteran parliamentarian and Cabinet
minister. Welshman by blood, son of a
penniless Welsh schoolmaster, he had
been born at Manchester, England, in
1868, and--being left an orphan--carcd
for by an uncle. shoemaker and Bap-
tist preacher, in Wales. He became
lawyer, was prominent. in the fight for
the disestablishment of the Church In
Wales, and in 1890 was elected to the
House of Commons. There he at
tracted little attention for some years,
being regarded as fiery and intransi-
gent Welsh Radical. But in the Boer
Wo, ha tnAI r,nrh nj
rampant pacifist and pro-Boer; on one
occasion he was mobbed and compelled
to fee in disguise from the hail in
which he had spoken against his own
government and country.
After that war, however, his un-
doubted ability caused the Liberal
leaders to welcome him to their coun-
ellis, and in 1906 he was made presi-
dent OF the Board of Trade, in which
office he won great credit by his man
agement of the Port Of London i'm.
broglio and of the question of foreign
patents.
Fathered Famous Budget
In 1908 he became Chancellor of the
Exchequer. the Office next in impor-
tance to that Of Prime Minister. He
secured the enactment of an old age
pensions bill which had been introduced
by his predecessor, and to meet the cx-
penses of it, OF elementary education,
town planning and other costly enter
prises OF social betterment. introduced
the famous revolutionary "Lloyd
George budget" in which he proposed
in addition TO supertaxcs4 on incomes
the conhscation by the state Of 20 per
cent of all increases in land values.
This provoked one OF the bitterest
fights in modern British politics; the
bill passcd the Commons, but was over
spite Of Ike CUSTOMARY y principe prh aat that at
the upper house should have no iurs-
diction over money bills, and parlia-
ment was dissolved.
In the ensuing election the Liberals
won by the narrow plurality of two.
and were consequently compelled to
coalesce with the Irish Nationalists. on
a pledge to r~ant Home Rule. The.
budget was repassed and enacted, and
then Lloyd George began his campaign
fcs either abolishing the House of
lords or greatly restricting its powers.
ID 1911, he brought ngshis nationaI
workinginefi's insurance Bill and later
supported Mr.. Asquith In forcing
through a Home Rule bill for Ireland
~ 1a13 he embarked on II vast scheme
for breaking up great estates and re-
turning the land to the people. But
this and other plans were checked in
1914 by the outbreak Of the World War.
Headed War Finances
AS Chancellor of the Exchequer it
was Mr.; Georges work to provide the
financial "sinews of war;" and into
this and other war matters he threw
himself with fiery energy, becoming
as belligerent as he had once been
pacifist. Early in 1916 he attended a
meeting Of Allied Finance Minister'S
in Paris, and there initiated the gem
eral cooperation which was of inesti-
mable utility during the war.
ln March, 1916, he introduced the
defence Of the realm act. and in May
forced the Prime Minister, Mr.. AS
quith,. against his will, to create a
Coalition Ministry, in which Mr.. Lloyd
George became Minister of Munitions.
In that place he did marvellous work,
and won the favor of the nation to
such an extent that, as already related
he was able in December, 1916, to force
MIR. Asquith to resign; whcreupon he
succeeded on December s as Prime