Evening star., 1925-10-18

ulSCOufteOuS to nm a1tef request 'i"t
should take up with him informal subjects OF
high Importance: for he is practically dictator
All that was left to do was to pursue MN
reentlessy since / could pursue nobody else
or to give it up; and had no idea of resting
with the answer he had given me.
The very next day / had what seemed a
piece of good luck. / was invited by IA member
of the government to dinner few evenings
later-"the prime minister will come. After
dinner | talked again with Lloyd George
Nothing to say further yet" he said. Il
haven't had chance go over the subject
with the men had in mind" Then | got up
little dinner myself for him. to which invited
the JeilcoeS the BrNceS. and several other
couples of high degree. Again | asked him
What news He shook his head. took him
aside and remarked the with which
great men and great governments make mis-
takes. Lloyd George Is perhaps the easiest man
10 talk with mot necessarily to convince) of all
men that hold high places. He has little dignity
tie mas no present, except as an orator. He
swears Familiarity easy sion. But he has
as quick mind and ready speech any
man that ever encountered. 1t is impossible
to realize that his casual deliverances are the
voice of the British Empire. After more talk.
In which he had injected oath two. I
made bold Ia say Good Cod prime minister
have YOU forgotten that the whole object of
the war is to reduce Europe to peace and
here may he peace that YOU are rejecting-how
do YOU know But ! got satisfactory re-
sponse. This my third interview
] still refused to believe that this was to be
the end OF the matter Now. queer accidents
happen when YOU keep steadily quest
and see many people and hear much talk and
by an accident / found that Curzon was
opposed to discussing peace with anybody and
had talked with the prime minister and that
Jetllcoe was eager for peace with Austria and
had not been able TO ak with the prime min
lister on the subject. That very night / dined
with Lord Salisbury. Lady curZon there
without Lord curzon Lady curzon married
Just a month, began life as IN Ala ma girl and
y"u can vet distinguish the Alaba ma intona
tions in her speech YOU and then hear
the oboe in an orchestra.
where's your husband" | asked her
lie had to spend the evening with the prime
minister That sounded somewhat discour;a :
ing
The next day SUNDAY. | reca He'd that
Admiral Jeicoe left his ceaseless watch at
the admiralty every sunday afternoon at :
O'Clock and went home 10 meet his friends at
tea. At : o'clock, therefore. Mrs. Page and !
were there TO pay our respects. ! could not
Vet mention the subject to the admiral, but
| gave him chance to mention il TO me. Not
a word did he say about it. He told me only
that fishing for submarinesl was pretty good
that's all.
A fun week had passed and | had got no
further than had got at my first interview.
l resolved go and the prime minister
again his Office. ! rehearsed my arguments.
which seemed to me irrefutable, and ! was de
termined to fight to the last ditch. To my sur.
prise he yielded at once--Gracefully. easily. al:
most unbidden. He had somewhat modified his
views. he -provided-provided the greatest
secrecy could be maintained. BY this empha sis
he gave the to his thought and mood.
The German proposal of a peace conference
little while ago, which. because no terms
were nal med. was regarded by the British as 4
trick, steeed The nation and the government
in particular against all peace talk till the
something. The very word peace" was ba
ished from the English vocabulary. Lloyd
George himself in several speeches had declared
that there could vet be peace-no thoug h
Of peace. This his of mind when /
first brought up the subject and the state OF
mind of the nation. Peace men had been hoote
in the House of Commons and suspected peace
meetings had been dispersed hy the police. His
empha sis secrecy made his fear plain No
doubt it he could announce Austria s surrender
that would be great stroke. But il il got
anybody else about peace he would lose
his dictatorship overnight. He was afraid of
the subject. But having discussed this partjc,r-
lar possibility of elimina ting Austria with some
of his collea CUES. he had somewhat changed
his view.
Copyright 1898 by Doubleday Page & Co,
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