The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-10-18
LLOYD GEORGE
DEFENDS HIS
POLICIES

Manchester, Oct I4.-(By the
Associated Press) Lloyd
George dealt with the crisis which
Near Eastern events have forced
upon the government in charac-
Iteristic and powerful speech in the
city of his birth this afternoon.
While he spoke as Liberal to Lib
eral and chose city remote from
the capitol for staging his Grafton,
according to the long custom Of
British statesmen. he was not
speaking primarily to Manchester,
but to Great Britain and the en-
pire.
The prime minister's speech was
evidently more carefully prepared
than is usual with him. It was
principally a defense of the govern
ment's policy. but it was the sort
|Iof, defense Lloyd George likes, be-
Ecanse it gave him plenty Of oppor-
tunity for his fayorite strategy Of
offensive defense which with
him means dealing hard: blows at
his critics and going into personali-
Ities so sharp that they shook the
Eold fashioned conventional states
men.
7 What the country. awaited most
curiously was information about the
future; it wanted to know which
l.of the various policies open before
1.-THE prime nlinister-resignation. a
general election or sitting tight-he
plans to follow but no light was
thrown upon that point; he left
himself free to take whatever di-
reetion events may indicate. He
+ declared that no one could welcome
his retirement more than himself.
sbut followed this with great dra-
Ematic passage.
i..I cast myself upon the people.
because 1 have never betrayed
| them
The hall rang with approving
shouts and he added that he would
! support Loyalty any alternative gov
-ternment that would work for the
ibest interests of the nation.
y A Lloyd George speech Of the
sort has come to be known as his
i..back to the WALL is seldom mere
/ speech; it is generally thrilling
ENTERTAINMENT. Today's was no ex-
tception; all the atmosphere was
friendly and congenial: the small
iaudienee in the dining room OF
| the Reform club responded swift
ly to every point
! Before the premier rose small
( pulpitlike structure was placed on
I the table in front Of him and on
this spread a sack of notes. But
tonice on his feet he seldom bother
t ed with these, SO his sentences had
talf the effect of spontaniety.
Considerably stouter than when
he took control Of the government
seven years ago, and hair much
lwhiter, the Welsh statesman's man
4 tl1er seems to have grown more Sc
iiriious with years of responsibility
but. all the old FIRE was there.
s, Ia the hall where Gladstone had
toften spoken he poured ridicule on
itbe great conmoner's son, Lord
Gladstone, who is one of the lead
ers of the Liberal revolt against
the. coalition: OF him he said:
..I know the difficulty of any
| man without adequate gifts who
has TO carry through life a great
name. He has actually excommuni-
tcated US from the Liberal party.
wei, the papacy is net heredi-
jtary sofice. What service has he
rendered. Liberalism? I know of
none, except one--he. is the best
living embodiment of the Liberal
doctrine that ability is not heredi-
tary.''
I Some of his strongest points in
defense of the governments Near
! Eastern dealings were that the
Turks had slaughtered since 1914
500 900 Armenians. and 100000
| Greeks; that to give way to them
4 now would be to sacrifice the great
| er part of the victory won over
Turkey in the great war: that and
Am I my brothers keeper at
titude has never been doctrine OF
the Liberal party.
The impression made on most OF
his audience was that the premier
! does not propose to have an early
general election, part Of the press
charging that an election before the
conservative party convention In
November would be political
trick. The inference, which may
be> wrong, was that Lloyd George
will wait to see whether that con-
ivention commits the conservatives
Ito dropping the coalition, in which
event ne might try to return as
| leader of the Liberty party. He
spoke throughout as Liberal
making appeals to Liberal princi-
1ples and traditions.
From today's display of form it
| is safe to predict that if a general
election comes. the Welsh giant,
despite his seven years of over
whelming labors, will be ready to
carry on a whirl wind campaign.
t. Prime Minister Lloyd George ad-
dressed the greater part of his
speech to the Reform League club
here today vigorous defense OF
the governments Near Eastern
policy. He laid stress at the out
set of the need of keeping open
the straits of the Dardanelles.