Evening star., 1923-04-01
LADY ASTOR GIVES
PARTY NEW SHOCK
Fight to Prohibit Selling of
Liquor to Youths Like
Bomb in House.
BY A. G.. GARDINER,

a. Ns
Englnnd's Foremost Liberal Editor.
By Cable to The Star
LONDON. March 31.-Lady Astor. al
ways one OF the most attractive person
alttes in parliament just now Is the CEN
ter Of raging battle. Nominally she
sits with the conservatives. But no sys-
tenn of party control can dominate so
imrerious and individual a character
More often she is IN sympathy with the
labor or liberal element, rather than
with her own conservatives. and her
courage and indifference to consequences
is marked
Never was there a more independent
whatever appeals to her sense Of Justice,
no matter who howls her down. Every
body likes her Some members laugh
at her. Her own party fears her. But
all respect her. Her gaiety. manner and
wit delight the house and her friends
are legion
But she has thrown a veritable bomb
shell into the ranks Of the conservatives.
One of the very best political fighters
in public l:fe, her intense conviction and
unconQuerable good humor prevent her
ever knowing that she Is beaten. And
the conservative leaders are very Seri-
ously asking each other what is to be
always is firing broadsides into their
flank.
Would Abolish Liquor.
The question now has become acute
since she has introduced and is pressing
her bill to prevent the sale of liquor to
persons under eighteen. Although neither
intensely religious nor a teetotaler, Lady
q Ii. =. \
out. She wants to abolish the entire
industry. But her party always has
been supporters Of the brewers and dis
tillers. The alliance has been notorious
for generations. and the bulk Of the
conservative funds come from the drink
trade.
Lady Astor's resourceful campaign
against the vets has aroused passionate
resentment. Party leaders regard 1t as
rank treachery and ingratitude. But
the proverbial fig and who laughs and
lays on.
Her latest attack on the brewers
brought the matter to a head. 1t was
decided 'l'enfant terrible" must be
taught a lesson. But how? The con-
publicly because popular opinion Is on
her side. An attempt was made to null
lify the bill through the insertion OF
knowingly" which would leave the
keepers selling to young people and
claiming they could not know their age.
To Fight Amendment.
Lady Astor has announced she will
not permit this amendment and will
fight 1t In the open. She will attack the
action of the committee when its re-
port is made to the house. She is GER
tain of powerful support, inasnuch as
public sentiment is lined up against the
vets because of the manner In which
they have profiteered since the war
LADY Astor, as a result Of the action
of the committee, now has become the
chief opponent of the publicans In par.
lament and she announces she Will
give them no rest This makes 1t an
acute problem for the conservative lead
ers to solve how long they can tolerate
so formidable an opponent In their
ranks.
The tide Of public feeling runs heavily
against the government not alone on
this issue, but also because of its fall
ure to adopt sincere policy concern
ing the Ruhr. The attacks this week In
parliament were significant. Asqulth mas
determined that the government must
face the issue of endorsing Germanys
proposal for an international inquiry
to cover these questions:
How much has Germany paid? How
much can she pay? How can she pay
It?
In such an inquiry all Of the facts
would be developed. Lloyd George also
is determined to press the government
to announce a defined policy. IL Is olf-
ficult, of course, now to save france
face because whatever decision Is reach
ed eventually she must Wlthdraw WI from on
the Ruhr. This entire subject Will be-
come acute again when the Easter hol-
idayS are over.
Copyright, 1929