Omaha daily bee., 1922-04-15
Lloyd George
tFmm the boston Transcript, /,

II ts'r'ss ~ sSt0s'H ss"ss~'sP'f
MF Lloyd George said the olhsl
day Ia q speech, II am a man oa I
cold and lonely mountain top" u
he Is that. he is not the hrst British
prime minister who has been In tbs
same situation, IL Is the eventual
abiding place Of all prime ministers
The prime minister OF a responsible
government In any constitutional
country. and the president in a dem,
oeratie republic like ours, draws
ever nearer 10 state OF solitude,
lie 10 the tribune Of the people"
perhaps, but at last he is the friend
Of nobody. All the people he can
not please all the time nor some
OF them any Of the time, and grad
ually his popularity wanes His de-
ereasing popularity IL reflected in
the slow loss of his parliamentary
or congressional support, while the
exercise Of the authority withou,
which his government cannot en-
dure separates him one by one from
the sympathy OF his ministerial as
sociates. Even the most popular Of
British prime ministers, men like
ts'ta sHfip'hfHF au' As't'
ston. have died disappointed and pit
fully lonely men. a few. supremacy
great. may have overcome the
president goes out Of Office unIGp-
ular, ht least at Washington. Even
Roosevelt. the most magical OF all
masters OF men. tended TO a politi-
cal isolation which was reflected IN
Al, a.. hfs In "a ,s, "a A tHn far
the presidency,
Mr.. Lloyd George has been the
master OF Britain for the past i've
years. Ills reign has exceeded tho
average term OF British prime min
lister. Partly for that reason and
partly. perhaps. because his natural
powers are somewhat worn with the
long strain. II has been quite COM
monty assumed that his star IL about
to set. But IL Il indeed were about
20 set, his fall would not be due TO
either OF the above causes. There IN
no constitutional limit, beyond that
which must fall with the possible
loss OF his parliamentary ma Jority.
upon the term of Office. nor is Mr.
lloyd George really n wornout man.
He is but 50 years old, and he re-
covers himself quickly with little
rest after n severe strain. Palmer
ston did not become prime minister
until he was n: Disraeli first became
prime minister at 6S years OF age.
while Gladstone. as premier. made
.he greatest fight OF his life In par
lament in 1898. at the age OF 81.
II Lloyd Georg were now to be out
voted or to be otherwise forced to
resign, his fall would be due to the
or hopeless weakness OF
the political coalition which he
heads, and not to any personal de-
cline or deficiency. The clements OF
political dissolution have all along
been contained in the composition
Of his Tory Ra dical coalition. The
test must come ere long. and will
come in the form OF
general election at the end OF the
summer or in the autumn.
But now see the consummate po-
litician Lloyd George enter the house
Of commons, waving q wand when
dispels opposition! Recognizing the
of vote which would
test the commons and the country's
he resolved to challenge
that confidence, but to challenge 1t on
his own terms. Evading the main
issue, he first threatened resigna-
ton in general terms, and then pre-
cipitated a vote under conditions
favorable to himself. There was the
Genoa conference. The prevailing
sentiment, as the premier was well
aware, favors that conference. La
Dor could not oppose it on the main
issue, on account Of the attendance
of the Russians. though labor op-
poses the government itself. 1t was
an issue irrelevant to the main one
Of the country's confidence. All the
more reason why Mr. Lloyd George
should choose It! He challenged the
vote OF confidence in himself on an
Issue on which there could be ques-
ton Of confidence. He went before
the house with an able speech which
was mostly beside the real issue. Ana
in the division, he won the desired
expression Of confidence by the
vote Of 372 to "a.
Naturally it is a patched-fp tri-
umph. But whether so or not, II
leaves the greatest politician IN Eng
land with a firm hold on the politi-
cal machinery. The impression IS
that there is none be-
side him who can bring safely into
port, through raging seas, the I'm.
perial ship Of state. The f1nal test
Is only postponed by the vote. but
the presumption OF the coalitions
eventual success ia strengthened by
It. And Mr.. Lloyd George does not
look quite so lonely as he did a few
days ago.
Dop,@otuo1 TvnOtjOn