The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1922-10-21
THE TEMPORARY ECLIPSE OF
LLOYD GEORGE.


The resignation OF David Lloyd
George, as prime minister OF
Great Britain and the attendant col
lapse of the coalition government OF
that country came as distinct sur
prise to people outside Of the British
empire notwithstanding the knowledge
that Lloyd George was being subject
ed to severe criticism in the British
Isles. After meeting crisis after crisis
and after weathering storm after
storm in nearly seven years, Lloyd
George had come to be looked upon by
the people as more or less of fix
ture in British government affairs un-
til he himself should deem it wise to
leave the scene of active participa-
tion in government. Not SO in the
British empire. There Lloyd George had
his bitter political enemies; there he
was assailed for this or that policy;
there he was intimately known land
few men can escape hostile criticism
no matter how good and how efficient
a man he may bel. Therefore, the res
ignation of the prime minister did not
come as great surprise or even as
anything much out of the ordinary,
to the British. Great forces had been
trying to encompass the downfall of
Lloyd George, and they finally accom-
plished it after nearly seven years.
The reasons for the downfall may
be matter of opinion in the order Of
their Importance; but it is likely that
the inherent weakness of a coalition
government in time when great
stress has been passed was in large
measure responsible. Parties may
bridge over their differences in a time
Of national peril and may work in
more or less harmony to preserve the
honor and possessions of the nation;
but as soon as peace mes there is
inevitable pickering, even open war
fare between parties and govern
ment which straddles parties like a |
modern Colossus is likely to have part |
Of the props knocked out from under
II, sooner or later Government will
always be based largely on party rule,
just as surely as men have different
opinions; and widely differing parties
will most certainly pull apart. That ',
Is what happened in the case Of Lloyd |
George; the withdrawal of the Conser-
vatives pulled a powerful prop from
beneath him and he, of necessity, fell. !
Another reason for the collapse of |
the Lloyd George regime might be found
in the personality of the man which
found its outcroppings in his recent
speech at Manchester. Lloyd George
had accomplished wonderful things for
Great Britain, in war and in peace, for
which he viii get due credit in his
tory; but he had those frailties of
human nature which stamp him as not
wholly great man. His appeals for
support in the Manchester speech were
almost demagogic; his bitter personal
attacks on his political enemies were
cheap in the extreme. For instance,
there was his belittling Of Lord Glad
stone, a political opponent, by virtu-
ally declaring that he was man of
sparse brains. Lloyd George lowered
himself greatly in the eyes Of the
world by that Manchester speech; and
he must also have lost favor among
The British by those iII-tempered re-
marks. Possibly there was revulsion
of feeling against him so strong that
I went far toward forcing the down
Iall of Lloyd George. At any rate
Lloyd George revealed startling weak
ness in characteristics and left doubt
n the minds of many people about
MS fitness to continue in the com
handing position of prime minister Of
'reat Britain. There were, Of course,
'ther reasons for the upheavaI at this
lime; but these two seem to stand out
prominently.