Salt Lake Tribune | 1917-11-20 | Page 1 | Lloyd George Wins Triumph with his U-Boat Statement

Lloyd George Wins Triumph With His U-Boat Statement Five Submarines Are Sunk in a Day; "I No Longer Fear the Peril,"-He Says. By Int crnationai News Service. UN DON, Nov. HI, By the L shrewdest political coup of his career. Premier Lloyd George today .sent a thrill of jubilii i ion thru u ph a partly hostile parliament before which he was on trial for, ids ''brutally frank" l'aris spcei !:. In the. midst of an eloijiient defense of the inLcr-ally war council, coun-cil, he suddenly switched to the submarine sub-marine question and announced triumphantly: tri-umphantly: ; "Five L-bouts were destroyed last Saturday alone. There is no loncer any ground for fear of the submarine subma-rine peril." Tumultuous cheering swallowed tha second sentence. The house of commons com-mons resounded for several minutes with an ovation such as has not been heard there since the fall of Bagdad. It was the gladdest news Britain has heard, about the U-boaL . campaign since the hi rth of th:i t menace. The real subject of the de-bale de-bale was forgotten, and rejoicing of the whole house centralized itself automa tically in one great acclamation acclama-tion of the announcer of the glad tidings. U-Boat Statement Wins Victory. Up to that moment the atmosphere had been tense with I lie sort of hostility hos-tility that has been long stored and has found the hour ripe for ihe body blow. The friends and fos of the creation of an inter-ally war council had mustered every available force of argument and influence to fight out a- decision- - The house was-jammed. i On the face of things Lloyd Gforge had emerged victor from the titiy's debate when t lie session adjourned and Ids announcement of t he blow dealt the U-boal menace had not a little to do with his victory, for it had changed the mood of the whole hmise from sullen skepticism to a conciliatory attitude open to conviction. con-viction. Lloyd George refused to retract one iota of his Paris speech. He defended defend-ed his ciiarges of "ineffaceable blunders." blun-ders." and stuck to his v'ew that only I unlLv of at -tion, tlirouyh an ailied war council, can prevent their repetition. repe-tition. He remarked that "America would have a. council with even greater powers than those proposed." Amcri.an public opinion, so far as he could saupe it, the premier added, would rather have a council with executive ex-ecutive powers. J-le himself did not think it advisable to so that far. But IC the present scheme proved a failure, an executive inter-ally board will become imperative, the premier arcued. Haig Thought to Oppose Plan. Gen ere I Pershing. General l'c di, French chief of staff; General Robertson, Rob-ertson, British chief of sta it, and General 'adorna. the former Italian commander in chief, he said, all approved ap-proved the establishment of the council. The fact that he did not mention Sir ' Dousda.3 Haig, the British commander com-mander in the field, anions those who apTced to It, lent strength to the theory generally prevalent that Sir Douglas is the principal British military mili-tary opponent of the council scheme; In connection with his announcement announce-ment of the sinking of five submarines subma-rines hist Saturday, the premier saJtS steps had been taken to have the war council closely informed on naval matters. Wilson's Message Stirs Interest. Seldom in this war has British ! pnhlii- i.nleres.t .been, -entered no in-. tensely upon a political controversy ar. it was on today's parliamentary j debate. This interest had been still I more intensi fied hy President Wilson's Wil-son's me.-page lo Golonel House, pub lished conspicuously by alt morning pap ere. The Times says in its editorial comment on Ibis message: "It is as guarded in tone as It is comprehensive in scope. It emphasizes empha-sizes unmistakably the cenLral principle prin-ciple for which Premier Lloyd George is sta udin unity of plan and control."