Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-10-15
SPEECH BARES
No PLANS Of
LLOYD GEORGE
Premier Ridicules Polit-
ical Enemies but Hides
Future Course.
Welsh States S m a n
Speaks to Entire King
dom From Birth CITY.

Manchester, Oct. 14-(By The As
sociated Press). = Premier Lloyd
George dealt with the crisis which
Near Eastern events have forced upon
the government in a characteristic and
powerful speech in the city of his birth
Saturday afternoon. While he spoke
as liberal to liberal and chose a city
remote from the capital for staging
his grafton, according to the long GUS
tom of British statesmen, he was not
speaking primarily to Manchester, but
to Great Britain and the empire.
The prime minister's speech was
evidently more carefully prepared than
is usual with him. 1t was principally
defense of the governments policy
but it was the sort of defense Mr..
Lloyd George likes, because it gave
him plenty of opportunity for his ia
vorite strategy of Offensive Defense"
which with him means dealing hard
blows at his critics and going into per-
sonalities so sharply that they shock
the old-fashioned conventional states
men.
Keeps Plans Dark
What the country awaited most Gu
riously was information about the fu-
ture. 1t wanted to know which of the
various policies open to the prime
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. a general cleo
tion, or sitting tight-he plans to fol-
low. But no light was thrown upon
that point, he left himself free to take
whatever direction events may die
tate. He declared that no one could
welcome his retirement more than
himself, but followed this with the
dramatic passage:
Il cast myself upon the people, be-
cause / have never betrayed them"
The hall rang with applause, and he
added that he would support Loyalty
any alternative government that would
work for the best interests of the ma
ton.
A Lloyd George speech of the sort
which has come to be known as his
''back to the walr' is seldom a mere
speech; it is generally a thrilling en-
tertainment. Saturdays was no ex-
ception; all the atmosphere was friend
ly and congenial; the small audience
in the dining room Of the Reform club |
swiftly to every point.
Speaks Extemporaneously
Before the premier rose a small !
Dulpit-like structure was placed on the I
table in front of him, and on these he !
spread stack of notes. But once on |
MS feet, he seldom bothered with |
these, so his sentence had all the eff |
;ect of spontaniety. Considerably |
stouter than when he took control of /
he government seven years ago and /
With hair much whittier, the Welsh |
manner seems to have
grown more serious with years of re-
but all the old fire was
here
In the hall where Gladstone had
,ften spoken, he poured ridicule on
he great commoner's son, Lord Glad
stone, who is one of the leaders of
he liberal revolt against the coalition.
If him, Lord Gladstone, the premier
aid:
II know the difficulty of any man
without adequate gifts who has to car
" through life great name. He has
.ctually communicated us from the
LIBERAL party Well, the papacy is not
hereditary office. What service has
le rendered liberalism I know of
zone, except one-he is the best liv-
ng embodiment of the liberal doctrine
hat ability is not hereditary"