The Washington herald., 1922-04-03

On the other hand, Lloyd George
himself Is not sure that he still
wields the same old spells over the
public mind. He is not certain that
when he calls up forked llghtnings
they will appear in the heavens.
The Independent liberals hate him
because Of the loneliness Of their raft.
The coalition liberals have become
conservatives at heart, most of them
by long association with the minds
with whom they were always rather
in secret sympathy. The labor party
hates the magician more than any
man allye because his conservative
acts seem to them a betrayal Of all
democratic principles, and because
his liberal acts and instincts steal
their own thunder and poach upon
their own preserves. But In England
there are masses OF men and women
who believed that personality. is big
ger than party. who have secret hero
worship Of the man who led the ma
tion to victory In some kind Of way.
who still thrill to his spell words,
who sti1l believe that there is some
magic In him that would find a way
out of their troubles, and who think
that only he has the courage. audac-
ity and vision to reshape the interna-
tional world in such a way that there
would be economic recovery and the
assurance Of peace. 1t Is to that
great body Of opinion that all propa =
ganda is now being directed In Eng
land by Lloyd Georges friends. OF
whom he has but few in the press.
and by his enemies. who are many.
Attack Russian Policy.
His enemies are in full cry and
there are many barking dogs. Shak-
ing hands with murder is the new
hulloa. Because he wants to make
some reasonable arrangement with
Russia which shall bring back 15o,-
100000 people into the economic life
Of the world and create a great
market on reasonable securities for
the manufactured articles of Europe
and America, they think they have
cornered him in a death trap. Shak-
ing hands with murder Is a good
cry. 1t besmirches a man. II raises
again I'm the simple mind the terrific
bogey Of Bolshevism. 1t enables good
journalists to requote Lloyd Georges
old words of horror about the sys-
tenn of the Bolshevic regime, and II
is not necessary to let people know
that communism has been scrapped
in Russia and that a new menace
will arise In Europe IL Germany alone
is trading with that country and en-
tering into intimate relations on an
economic basis.
Whether one agrees or not with
the possibility OF dealing with the
Russisns-and am strong in the
belief that the time hsS come when
the world powers should tackle this
Russian problem with strength and
courage, imposing conditions in re-
turn for aid-there Is no sense, but
only an appeal to low and foolish
passions in the propaganda, di-
rected against Lloyd George as a
panderer to murderers. There is
no sense at all in the terrific cam
paign being launched against the
Genoa conference before il is
started. 1t is to prevent Lloyd
George from achieving success In
restoring to some extent the eco
nomic sanity OF Europe. so that he
would go to the people with those
laurels OF victory on his brow.
Because Of a desire to drag down
Lloyd George, his political enemies
would drag down Europe itself. in
SO far as the Genoa conference
would lift il up. am not a Lloyd
George man. I have analyzed his
weaknesses and his failures with a
ruthless touch. but I confess to dis
gust when I hear the baying of
hounds hunting one whose leader
ship they followed when their own
skins were in jeopardy. What is
happening in England now is only
one more revelation of the way in
which common sense Is dethroned
not only in England, but in all
countries when the political pro-
pagandists are let loose. What the
world wants. as I said last week.
is a leader who can call over the
walls of Parliament or Congress to
an immense store of idealism in the
hearts of the common folk. and, by
tmotionalizing common sense with
a spiritual purpose. lead his people
TO victory. for humanity itself is
beyond the reach of low and selfish
passions, which are mostly fostered
by the politicians.
Copyright, le7f.)