Evening star., 1928-12-16


servative leader in Lancashire has not
been able to appease the feuds.
Lloyd George Is Great Asset.
It will naturally be asked why very
large share of this movement OF opln-
ION against the government should not
take the form of a Liberal revival In
stead of a Socialist advance. Possibly
it may do so in certain areas in Scot
land where reaction against Torylsm
is also clearly imminent. But IN the
main Liberalism can hope to profit lit
tie, as things stand, by the change In
public opinion. It is too distracted by
internal dissensions-which revive again
Just as soon as they appear to be COM
posed.
Il Liberalism has one great asset-Mr.
LLOYD George But this asset is being
consistently deprecated by the attacks
launched on the Liberal leaders by
those who are supposed to be his sup
porters. This hostility to Lloyd George
is far more damaging both to himself
and his party than any open Tory as
sault Further, kind of whispering
campaign of type we have heard OF
over here in connection with Al Smith
has been conducted secretly against the
Liberal leader. It refers not, of course.
to his private life, but to his campaign
fund. Some of the Tory leaders have
not discouraged this method of political
controversy.
But quite apart from its internal
troubles, the Liberal party is handi-
capped because all its thunder has been
stolen by the Socialists. The discon-
tented rally to the loudest orator on
the biggest soap-box-and that orator
is a Socialist.
What liberalism wants to make prog
resS is a policy of its own-a policy
which no other party can initiate or
take from it.
Where is it going to find such a
policy? Certainly not by competing
with the Socialists in attempts to bribe
| the electorate with social reform. Lib
eralism ought to make its appeal, in my
| opinion, to the moral sense of the
people, which. though it may be over
| laid by wealth or materialism or by
the pressure of poverty, is still alive.
| It was by its appeal to these moral
! forces that liberalism first began to
live, and in this particlar stronghold
| it will find no rivals.
Needs Sweeping Program.
I believe therefore, that liberalism
| ought to come forward with sweep
ing program against betting and against
drink. 1t should be the anti-gambling
and prohibition party.
| It Is admitted on all sides that
great wave of gambling has overtaken
| the community in recent yearS-and as
soon as one form of betting dies down
another takes its place. Recently we
have seen a startling phenomenon In
| the coupon competitions started by
many great newspapers. Here any man
who could cut out of newspaper and
send in coupon giving correctly the
results of a certain number OF foot
ball matches would obtain prize OF
| 100000. The odds were enormously
against him, but there was the gam
bler'S hope.
The newspaper with which am con-
nected-the Daily Express-fought
against this development vigorously.
| Their original motive in doing so was
undoubtedly the feeling that the cou-
pom competition press was degrading
Journalism by mixing 1t up with gam
bling and by securing inflated circula-
| ton figures which did not represent the
real reading or advertising value OF the
newspaper. AS the campaign pro-
greSSed, however, found an overflow
| ing current of support coming IN from
members of the public who objected 20
| the demoralizing effect OF this new
form of gambling The practice men
toned has been temporarily, at any
rate, put to a stop by a decision OF the
High Court that such competitions are
illegal The moral remains.
The other new form of gambling has
centered around greyhound racing
generally known as the dogs" The
feeling against the betting on the
dogs" is very widespread, for 1t af1ects
the very poorest of the town popula-
ton. who cannot afford to go to horse
race meetings. It brings gambling to
the very door of the industrial area.
Mr.. j. H. Thomas, the labor leader, has
said publicly that he will never indulge
in his own amusement of horse racing
so long as betting on dog racing lasts,
| lest it should be said to him, You
disapprove of dog racing but yet you
| 60 to the other races" l take Mr.
| Thomas attitude to mean that he has
received many protests from his polltl-
cal world against the evils OF betting
on the dogs.
Question Of Racing.
Thirdly, there is, of course, betting on
horse racing itself-an age-long amuse-
ment of the British people. l am a
|
cne of the very few who never bet.
However. the point here is no betting
by owner, or trainer, but betting by
| the general public. l need hardly say
| that I am not opposed to such betting
myself. I only stress the point that
there is a very strong section OF pubic
opinion which is SO opposed. 1t is to
this form of the national conscience
that liberalism should appeal.
Liberalism should go out boldly for
prohibition. There the Tories will not
and the Socialists dare not follow them.
They would have the field to them
selves, and q very profitable field, too.
| I know shall be laughed at by the
politicians of the West End of London
when I say this. These men who fire.
uuent the night clubs or else belong to
! the group which give large dinner
parties in their own set know nothing
whatever of feeling in the constituencies
which they never come in contact
with. They will declare with one voice
| that prohibition Is an impossible cause
| in Britain. "It will not do; it is con-
| trary to the English nature and char
acter." Such will be the cry-but it
has no foundation in reality.
Situation in Scotland.
| Let the London politicians go up to
| Scotland and to the north of England
and delve into public opinion there.
| Scotland is potential stronghold of
i the prohibition movement. 1t Is no
accident that Scotland should at the
same time be the best electoral hope of
/ liberalism. In the Clyde area of Glas-
| Cow and its neighborhood such move
! ment would instantly gain great mo-
mentum once it were launched. 1t
/, would be move calculated peculiarly
/; to embarrass the extreme Socialist
members of Parliament who sit for the
Clyde constituencies. For the Socialist
party, as whole, dare not take up
prohibition-yet its Clydeside members
might be overwhelmed If they resisted
IooaI t1roI;hifio,1 i0y1