Evening star., 1922-01-06
NEW PARTY SOUGHT
: BY LLOYD GEORGE.
Though Coalition Firm at
Present, Future Split
Seems Assured.
BY EDWARD PRICE BELL.
By Cable to The Star and Chicago Daily News
Copyright. 1922.


Ey Cable to The Star and Chicago Daily News.
Copyright, 1872.
. LONDON, England, January o.
Keen political minds are absorbed in
Prime Minister Lloyd Georges theory
of how to continue his leadership and
increase his prestige as British
statesman. That he is ambitious all
realize. That he is clever nobody
questions. For the present he desires
to maintain the coalition and fight
another election under its banner. But
he does not believe in coalition as
permanent arrangement. He Favored
1t for the purposes of the war. ana ne
favors it for the purpose of postwar
readjustment, but he then wishes 1t
to give place to a realignment of the
parties on the old principles OF poltti-
cal combat. His conception is that
while Britain faces the great post
war problems 1t should face them as
united nation.
All the time, however. shrewd OBJ
servers perceive that the little Welsh
man has not forgotten party politics.
He is preoccupied with the present
vet he keeps a sharp eye on the fu-
ture. In fine, at this moment he is
carefully building up the party he ex-
pectS to lead to victory when the coal1-
tion crumbles and the British politi-
cal organizations once more meet III
grand battle array.
Many Questions Raised.
What will Lloyd George call his
new party? What will be it's char
acter? Who will be it's chief lead
ers? These are questions engaging
earnest speculation. Lloyd George is
a patriotic Briton with strong SYM
pathies for the weaker and poorer
80 taf1 iS
whose liberalism grew out of the
pronounced radicaliSm of his early
days in politics. He is democrat
by conviction. Syndicalsm. social
ism. communism and classism of any
sort he repudiates. He is convinced
that Great Britain is a country over
whelmingly devoted to the democratic
faith, and that whoever leads it with
any considerable success must under
stand and practice this faith.
1t has been said that Lloyd George
mas gone over to the conservatives
the nberalized successors of the old
tories. On the contrary, acute OBJ
servers note that the conservatives
rather have come over to him. But
they will not stay with him always.
When the coalition breaks up con-
servatism will organize itself separ-
ately, and, unless present signs fail,
Lord Chancellor Birkenhead will be its
chief-will stand in the party position
of Disraeli. Salisbury and Balfour.
ExceIs In Driving Power.
Lloyd Georges new party may be
called the national party. 1t will be
progressive. 1t will be democratic.
II will fight social sectionalism in
whatever form. And if the prime
minister has his way it's leadership
will embrace the most original and
energetic men in the present-day
British political life. Lloyd George has
supreme confidence in driving power.
He wants associates with driving
power-men like Winston Churchill.
With a non-sectional party SO led the
prime minister thinks that he can en-
roll under his flag the genuine demo-
Gratis of all parties-conservativ
liberal and labor-and SO command an
Irresistible political army.
There is not a personality in Brit
ish politics whom he fears-not men
like CIines and Henderson. for they
are sectiOnaliSts; not Asquith, for he
is weighted down with old shibbo-
leths, and not Birkenhead. for any
claim he could assert to political pri-
macy would be that of tory or rela-
tive reactionary.