The English Political Situation.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16261, 11 July 1918, Page 6

The English Political Situation.

The latest English files, which take us up to May 28th, contain nothing to pra-v pare us for the curious report that is cabled to us to-day concerning the political situation at Home. It is rumoured, according to this message, that Mr Lloyd George and Mr Bona? Law have approached Mr Asquith with the suggestion that lie should join the Government, the suggestion being accompanied by the threat that the Government candidates would oppose the Asquithitos at the' next general election— whenever that may come along. The Northcliffe papers, it is further stated, have intiiifated that they will oppose the Government if Mr Asnuith joins it. It is not difficult to believe that the Prime Minister and Mr Bonar Law would be very glad to have Mr Asquith and the Opposition Literals on their side, and to risk the Northcliffe opposition, which in such a situation would not count for very much. Not so easy of belief is the notion that Mr Asquith would be willing to join the Government except as Prime Minister and upon stringent conditions. he left office Mr Asquith has abstained from factious opposition, and has never raised his voice except to support ihe effective prosecution of the war. He has nevertheless been unceasingly attacked by the Lloyd George Press— chiefly the Nortiicliffo Press—and also by the "Morning Post" and other extreme Protectionist journals. The violenco and persistence of these attacks, which Mr Lloyd George has not attempted to condemn, could hardly have left the ex-Primo Minister confident of any real goodwill towards him on the part of his successor. Ministers, of course, have abstained from attacking Mr Asquith, to whom, indeed, they have generally shown no little deference, and from whom they have received consrderate treatment, although in the debate on General Maurice, the Prime Minister angrily suggested that Mr Asquith had behind him a Press desirous of embarrassing the Government, and he implied that Mr Asquith was a willing agent of these newspapers. The politicians themselves do not believe that, however; in the same debate Sir Edward Carson paid a higli tribute to the ex-Prime Minister's continued oatriotisih in Opposition, which, he said, the wholo House recognised. Mr \aquitn himself declared that only people "gifted with more imagination than "charity and more stupidity ■ than " either" could think of him as impatient to resume the cares of office, and there is no reason to suppose he was not speaking the exact truth. The virulcnce of the attack upon him as the head of "the old gang" probably l proceeds from a real fear in Northcliffe

and Government circles that the Government, and Mr Lloyd George in particular, hare no sure hold of the country. Some of the Opposition papers have barely concealed their annoyance that Mr Asquith has not adopted a strong and aggressive line, which, they believe, would have brought the Government down very speedily. The Government have, indeed, mad«! so many mistakes of ono kind and another, that those who distrust it are very many, and can be found in all parties. Papers so entirely different in politics as the "Nation" and "Spectator" declare that Mr Lloyd George is a public danger ; even the ''Morning- Post" would gladly see him evicted, were it not that, on its own word, it would rather see the Army and country ruined than see Mr Asquith back in power. Thero is accordingly | not'iing remarkable in the report that the leaders of the Government are conducting a "peace offensive" against their old colleague. The Liberal Party organisation is still powerful and effective, and Mr Asquith is sti'l its unchallenged leader, with control of its policy, machinery, and funds. Only a small section of the party adheres to Mr Lloyd George. The chances of a general election, therefore, which would find all the parties—Libera?, Unionist, and Labour—divided in varying degrees might very easily leave Mr Lloyd Georgo without a majority, although with the Unionist support he might profit from the split between the Liberal and Labour parties in tV.e event of a general election. If the rumours now current are well founded, Mr Asquith is unlikely to accept a place in the Government if the Prime Minister is moved purely by political considerations, but if he feels that itis acceptance would really strengthen ihe nation's position there is no conclusive reason against his joining the Coalition. He has not wavered in his attitude on the war, and with tho Prime Minister, Mr Bonar Law, and Mr G. N. Earnes, is still a President of the National War Aims Committee. Any developments of the rumour will be of uncommon interest.

In a despatch this week, Mr Philip Gibbs reports that tho Cathedral of Amiens has not suffered much damage from thq -German artillery. A few shells have pierced it, he says, but no -irreparable damage has been done, and he adds that it is to the enemy's credit that his gunners have not made a target of the Cathedral. This is rather better news than earlier reports had led us to expect, for in May tho enemy were said to be making the Cathedral their special targot. This great church, the west front of which Ruskin called tho "Bible of Amiens," has often been praised. It is doubtful, according to one authority, whether any other interior, save perhaps that of Sta. Sophia at Constantinople, can produce a similar effect of overwhelming grandeur and soaring magnificence. The plan of the Cathedral is due to Robert de Luzarches, who began tho building in 1220, but the lowers remained unfinished until the fifteenth century. It is the rich and varied sculptural adornment of the exterior, and particularly of the west front, that makes tho Cathedral one of the world's wonders of art.

If the Germans are able and willing to spare, tho Cathedral, they will have deprived themselves of any excuse for their treatment of the Cathedral of Rheims. They are entirely without sentiment in this matter; indeed, they have made a boast of their outrages in cathedral towns. The State Department in Washington recently supplied to the newspapers a statement circulated by Germany in Spain with the object of terrifying that country by showing what opposition to Germany entails. "Due to tho treachery of Cardinal Merrier and other priests," this statement runs, "who did their utmost to stir the people against the good-hearted German soldiers," the German armies were "forced to teach a severe lesson." Then follow the tabulated items: "Cathedrals destroyed,! 4; rendered unserviceable, 8; churohes destroyed, 27; rendered unserviceable, 34; total, 73." In Poland also, it is stated, a large number of churches have been destroyed "for military reasons." Particulars are also furnished of the fines' and levies imposed upon the Belgian people, and there is also a list of minor losses sustained by the foolish people who cross Germany's path; "high grade watches, 417 ; average watches, 5016; underwear, 18,076; embroideries and women's handkerchiefs, 15,132.; umbrellas and parasols, 3705; silver spoons, 1876; bottles of champagne, 523,000." One paragraph in the German statement emphasises the fact that Germany treats her prisoners "with extreme rigour."

In America tho obligation upon every able-boaied man to do something useful in war time is not merely proclaimed by the Press and by public orators; it is embodied in an operative law. Towards the end of May th'e Provost-Marshal-General announced that after «Tuly Ist every man of draft age must work or fight. Any "draft registrant" —or, as we should say, "reservist"— who is a habitual idler, or is not engaged in some useful occupation, will I be summoned and called upon for an j explanation. If he cannot give a satisfactory explanation, he will bo sent | into camp. Certain persons are expressly declared to have the status of idlers, such as gamblers, race-track and bucket-shop attendants, fortune-tellers, etc. Certain other persons are held to be engaged in non-useful occupa- J tions. Such are . persons engaged I in the serving of food and drink in public places or hotels, lift attendants, doormen and footmen, ushers, and othtfr I attendants engaged and occupied in connexion with games, sports, and amusements (theatrical performers being excepted), persons employed in domestic service, sales clerks, and other "clerks employed in stores and other mercantile establishments. 4 The American Government has chosen this method of procedure because of the disorganisation of the normal adjustment of man-power, and also because of the fact that the draft "takes men from the farms and from all useful employments and marches them past crowda of loafers and idlers .away to tho army." A proclamation issued by the Governor of Naur York was of a

different purport, inasmuch as it did not give the idlers a choke between work or the camp, but between work and the gaol. Having laid it down that every able-bodied man between the ages of IS and 50 must be habitually and regularly engaged in useful work until the end of the war, the proclamation went on to declare that any affected person refusing to work for at least 36 hours a week, or neglecting to register in the event of beiDg unable to find work, or refusing to accept employment assigned to him by the State Industrial Commission, would be liable to three months' imprisonment. There seems to be no reason why these regulations cannot bo carried out, and of their soundness in principle there is no doubt whatever.