Evening star., 1922-11-19
|SEES GRAND SLAM
IN BRITISH BALLOT
"RevoIt" Swept Lloyd George
and Dictatorship Into
| Abyss, Says Gardner.
"WREckAGE MONUMENT"
All Credit to Overthrow Falls to
Conservatives, Despite
Liberals Efforts.
"WREcKAGE MONUMENT"
BY A. G. GARDINER.

BritaSn's Greatest Liberal Editor.
Special Cable Dispatch to The Star.
LONDON. November lS.-My lore
cast of the. election result has oeeh
fulfilled. A tidal wave Of almost un-
precedented magnitude has swept the
conservatives INTO power and Lioyo
Georgeism into the abyss.
The chief cause Of this grand siam
is the revolt of the country against
the methods of the past four years.
There was a profound ground SVEN
OF hostility toward that dictatorship
of Lloyd George which sub'er'eo
parliament by mixture or corrup-
tion. opportunism and levity. ana
which ended by nearly plunelhs 'he
nation into war single handeo.
Throughout the liberai parry az
posed the coalition and its metnous. >.
but by a strange irony all credlt lot
the overthrow falls to the conserva,
tiyes. who were its main support anu
who only destroyed Lloyd SeorSe
when he had ceased to serve their
ends. ,..u..
The result Of the election leaves
Ilovd c;eoree an outcast with a triv-
;aI hand of personal supporters. ne
has smashed the liberal party. mas
been rejected by the tory party ana
his future must be that OF iree
lance. Col,
No such sudden catastrophe fai.
british politics. For six years die.
ta,or of England, almost dictator OF
E,urope. now he is discredited ana
broken. without a following, repuol ,
ated alike by tories. liberals ana
labor.
Liberal Party WreckaEe.
The single monument Of his work
Ia the wreckage of the liberal party
and the overwhelming rehabliitauon
OF the conservatives the presen.
feeling is that the election has
sounded the death knell of the hopes
for the revival of the liberal organi.
zation, and it is doubtful whether II
ever will be reconstructed as nrst-
class fighting instrument. II mas
been crushed between the upper anG
neither millstones Of conservatism ano
Labor Asouith passes into final
eclipse along with the liteutenan'
who engineered his fall six years ago
In him passes great Engllshman
wise. distintereS,ed, but lacking IN
initiative to meet great situations.
Most significant is the growth OF tne
labor party 1t now takes the place OF
the liberals as the most powerful oppo'
sition to conservative control. It's aim
was to crush the liberals and this wal
nearly achieved last Wednesday No'
only are it's numbers more than douoied
but its personnel is enormously enhanced
80 that 1t will be. intellectually. the mos'
formidable element Of the new pariia-
ment.
The election disclosed the deplorable
fnefficiency Of our present voting system
The vast majority of the conservatives
are returned by minority vote: the
ma jority being split between the labor
and liberal candidates. The chief VIC
Tins Of the system were the liberals
whose total vote ih the country should
entitle them to more than double their
actual representation.
woman's Vote Dominant.
1t also generally is agreed that the
woman's vote was dominant factor
Last election, when the women voted
for the first time. they were almost q
unit for Lloyd George. This time the!
supported the conservative ticket. l,
seems clear their influence will be
exerted mainly on the side OF reaction
Yet the fact is remarkable that onl!
two women were successful. Lady AS
tor and Mrs. Wintringham retaining
their seats. The experience Of this cleo
tion indicates that woman will no
vote for a woman.
What will Bonar Law do with hi.
majority? He has promised tranquility
but 1 venture to say the voyage will b.
stormy. The passage is strewn witt
the rocks of unemployment. bad trad,
relations with France. Europe in ex
tremis, taxation crushing, reparatfoni
questions unsettled.
The overshadowtng question Is France
England is being ruined by the presen
continental policy VIII England nov
plainly face the issue with her ally ant
put to her the alternative that eithel
France will agree to let Germany hav,
a chance at recovery or England mus
adopt other means Of restoring Europ,
| to peace and prosperity? A strong ap
peal to France is urgently needed. Th'
moment is favorable in view Of Louch
| eurs advocacy of a more reasonabl,
policy. Laws handling Of this grea
issue will be the acid test Of his states
manship.