REPLY TO CRITICS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2765, 8 May 1916, Page 5

REPLY TO CRITICS

mr. Lloyd george in .■':":.■; defence PUBLIC EAGER TO HEAR HIM. ■ to TeleEraDU-Pms Association-Copyright (Sec, May 7j 5.5 p.m.) : London, May 6. ._ Great interest is being taken in Mr. Lloyd George's meeting.at Conway today, where ho replies to the attacks , mado on him. Applications for scats are • fourfold. Newspapers at Home and abroad have made special arrangements for reporting the speosh.

Among Mr. Lloyd George's critics is Mr. Alfred 6. Gardiner, editor of the ..•"Daily News," who, in a'scathing open letter to Mr. Lloyd George, published about April 21, said: "Your friends have been silent over long, and have pretended not 1 to have known many things, and have refused to see your figure flitting, about behind the -tcrcens. They Agreed to talk of Lord Northcliffe and Sir J. H. Dalziel, when in reality they meant Mr. Lloyd George. They have done this because they remembered past associations, and knew the,strain upon an emotional mind like yours. Butthe time for concealment has passed. This .week's crisis was the culmination of jour activities, and the country has to choose between Mr. Asquith and yourself. ' Doubtless in the heat of an overwrought atmosphere, in your mind you honestly: believe that you are yourself the man of destiny. Mr.'Churchill and Lord Northcliffe share this impression with you. Your brilliant success, fascinating though wayward superficial personality and casual uninstructed habit of mind encouraged the belief. But the democracy was only a vehicle to you, never a'faith. Now you seek in ten months Napoleon's power. As you once said .to me, your never understood trade unions.- Mr. Asquith sought to carry Labour with him.,- You are impatient of the democracy, and have been seized with a sort of apocalyptic vision of yourself as the saviour of Europe. You were the chief cause of the fall of the Liberal Government and the establishment of fne Coalition Government. ' Throughout you have been the friend of Lord Northcliffe, and in close intimacy with somo of tho Government's chief assailants. IL'ho country shall not choose between iMr. Asquith and yourself in ignorance."

'■■:■• SPEECH AT CONWAY ABSOLUTE. NATIONAL UNITY : (Eec. May 7, 11.35 p.ra:). ■London, v May 6. ■ .. Mr. Lloyd George, speaking at Conto ay, said the ; task on,hand was not for tine or two 'parties,.' but for the whole nation/ It was necessary to preserve, absolute .national 'unity until the national triumph. The sole condition, of .victory was unity. In a month's time he'would give iaU'account of his stewardship after'a year's' munition'work. ■In the meantime "he could say the output of munitions, also the ! capacity to Furnish further supplies, had been enormously increased. ■

The nation's achievement, in raising huge voluntary armies, was something jot' which we might well be proud, for it was almost unparalleled-in history. The ' numbers,,' however, diminished towards I the end of the summer, and.it: became 'clear Jhat wo must- resort to other methods. There was no indignity .in compulsion, which simply meant that the nation had organised itself, for war iu an orderly, consistent, and resolute fashion. We ; could not.._run the. like a Sunday school treat; we could .not make tho -same contribution in mou |in proportion, to population •as France, \ because < we. are supplying France and cur other Allies with steel, coal, and explosive materhl. Still,'there was. a jconsiderable margin of men, if the need'; arose".-of' increasing-,our armies. ' . The women were coming in in larger numhers to.the rescue of,the men...Nearly Vthree hundred, thousand women were in ;tlie munition works. "I believed, and still believe in the necessity for .compulsion.- It arose in September I hdmire Lord Derby's- colossal efforts, but tho Derby scheme was not voluntary "It possessed many ■'.- of- the disadvantages of compulsion and. without the advantages of either."

He denounced the base and treacherous personal intrigues of:those alleging him to be capable or advancing his own ends, when he was bent on winning the. iwar. ■: Ho was glad his clandestine, and surreptitious assailants had now...been forced into the open, ■■ and been subjected to a cloudy discharge of poison gas. "If any man believes the testimony of the person who invents private conversation; in order to malign a friend, }l seek neither his friendship nor sup'port. I have worked with Mr. Asquith for ten ;years most harmoniously. I would ill-requite Mr. Asquith's great kindness .to me if 1 remained -an autopiaton, and not expressing my opin-. ions freely, candidly, '. and independently. ; A counsellor professing constant agreement with his leader is only betraying him." He viewed war with hatred, and therefore wishwl. . this to be the last; but it wouid not he the last. Unless, it is effectively:, conducted, time would not'be our ally. : Time was a doubtful neutral, and was not yet won over to 'Bur side.--,-. The Allies were united, but,their design and co-ordination left much to bo desired. The Austro-Germans are pooling all their forces, brains, and efforts. . AVe possessed means,- the Germans too often possessed ' methods. Let us apply their methods to our means, and victory was certain. "I trust the people and tell them what is happening. There is nothing to conceal. Our people are courageous. They would respond with enduring steadfastness, devotion, and faith. An unanimous vote of confidence in Sir. Lloyd George was passed. Mr. Lloyd George afterwards address- . Ed an immense overflow meeting.