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Show NATIONALISTS REVOLT. Nut :i little significant is the action of (lie Australian senuto iu demanding hniiui rule for Ireland by a voto of twoiitv-cifilit to two. Taken in conjunction con-junction with lr. Asquith's proposal thaL commissioners from the colonies lie called into a conference to settle the question once for all, the Australian mate's action is a portent that the .-el f-,'o erninj; dominions, for the saho i. !' the empire, will take upon them-.-elves the burden of adjusting a his- ii. ric problem. The present situation in parliament .aimot be understood without recounting recount-ing some of the events which have transpired trans-pired within the last year. In the autumn au-tumn Mr. Lloyd George was assigned the titanic task of settling the home rule inlion. He called the Nationalists ;,nd Unionists into conference and ap-i ap-i arcntly an agreement was reached. W hen Mr. Lloyd George presented the i oiupaet to parliament it had been al-ii-red from the sense to which the Nationalists Na-tionalists hud given their adhesion. The Unionists would not consent to the original orig-inal agreement and Lloyd George was lompellcd to record a political failure, tv.ni'c then the Nationalists have regarded regard-ed hini with distrust. The triumvirate which rales the Brit-i.-h empire at this time comprises Lloyd '. Verge, Lord Miluer and Earl Curzon. 1 hey came into pow-er last December when Lloyd George, aided by Lord Xovthcliffe, the journalistic Samson nf England, and Sir Edward Carson, the Unionist statesman who threatened rebellion re-bellion against the crown in 1914 if home rule should be forced upon the north of Ireland. tin December , 1916, Lloyd George, .oi ihclif l'e and Bonar Law held a conference. con-ference. They decided that the time had come to unseat Premier Asquith. Honar Law did not want the government govern-ment overthrown, but he was intimidated in-timidated by Carson, who threatened the withdrawal of conservative support to his staying in the coalifion cabinet. Mr. Asquith made one more attempt to secure unity by holding a conference with Lloyd George. He believed that he had come to an understanding, but, like the Nationalists, he found himself him-self crippled by a trick of jiu jitsu. Next day, when he opened The Times, one of the Northcliffe papers, he was deeply pained and shocked that a construction con-struction had been put upon the agreement agree-ment wholly out of accord with his understanding un-derstanding of it. He drew Lloyd George's attention to the article, pronouncing pro-nouncing it inspired. Mr. George replied re-plied that he had not seen the Times leader and disclaimed any authority over Northcliffe. A few hours later George effectuated his coup d'etat, displaced Asquith and a few days later assumed the premiership himself. For the triumph of his own ambition he had acted just in time. A week later Germany made its proposals of peace and the people of the British empire saw that the premiership of Asquith had not been the failure Lloyd George had tried to demonstrate that it was. It was at this juncture that the Spectator Spec-tator revealed Lloyd George's character charac-ter by a lightning stroke of genius. It quoted without comment from Lin-coin's Lin-coin's celebrated letter to General Hooker, as follows: I have placed you at the head ot tile army, "of course, 1 have dune this upon what appear lu n;e to be sufficient reasons, and vet I think it best for you to hnovv that there are sumo 'tilings in regard to which 1 am not quite satisfied with you. Von have confidence con-fidence in vourself, which is a valuable, val-uable, if not an indispensable, quality. qual-ity. . Von are ambitious, which within reasonable bounds, does good ratiier than harm; but I think that during your predecessor's command, yon b;iv tTiken counsel of your ambition, ami thwarted him as much as you could, in which von lid a great, wrong to the couiitrv and to a most meritorious and honorable hon-orable brother-officer. I hae heard, in such a way as to believe it, of your recently 'savin. r that both the army and the govern"-inent govern"-inent needed a dictator. Of course, it was not for this, but in spite of it, that I have riven you tiie c0m-Hil'nd. c0m-Hil'nd. Only those who gain successes suc-cesses can set up dictators. What T now as!; pi" you js success, and I will risk the dictatorship. I much fear liiaf the spirit, which """Vi have aided tn infu-e into ho vrMiP-''-1"-- cuii f idt-nce, l .icn him, '"r" upon you. V shall :i s i ; t vou ys far as I can rpnt it dnv.n.4 -'.either you nor ft i. olefin, if he alive acaii), VI I .get -jiiy iod nit of an army while such a spirit prevails iu it. Ami now beware of rashness. Beware Be-ware of rashness, but with energy and sleepless vigilance go forward and give us victories. Even the friends of Mr. George could not fail to see tho aptness of the parallel, paral-lel, although they might not be willing to admit that it was entirely just. When the Nationalists shout in the house of commons that Lloyd George is a "turncoat" their meaning can be best understood in the light of the events we have just recorded. .No doubt Mr. Asquith was disposed to echo that term of endearment. Lloyd George turned his back upon the Liberal party and chose as his chief aides Lord Miluer and Lord Curzon, both conservatives, both hostile to democratic dem-ocratic institutions, both believers in autocracy. Miluer is half German and half English by blood. The ideals and docl l ines of Prussian imperialism have obsessed his. mind and controlled his political po-litical conduct. It was he who led the opposition to Campbell-Baimermaa 's policy of placating tho Boers, which so gloriously vindicated its worth. Lord Curzon 's autocratic cast of mind is so well known that it is unnecessary to dwell upon it. In tho background, but an active, even virulent, influence in the ministry, is Sir Edward Carson. Lloyd George, therefore, is suspected by the company ho keeps. Despite his role of dictator, his opponents believe that his hands are tied on tho home rule question and that he cannot but take tho side of Carson, Milner and Curzon and the powers, that support them. |