For ourselves, seeing that steadiness, justice to the soldiers, and
determination to carry out the Allies' war aims are the qualities required in a Prime Minister, we should be quite content to see Mr. Asquith return to power, returning, as we believe, with renewed vigour and unhampered by many ties which bound him before. If, however, there were a general feeling that in order to stand the strain a younger man must be chosen for Prime Minister, while Mr. Asquith should take a place without portfolio in the War Cabinet and devote himself to that co-operative criticises in which he excels, there are plenty of hornet which occur to one Since the desiderata are both mental and physical vigour and the endurance and staying-power which belong to men not too advanced in age, we do not think we could do better than name by way of illustra- tion two men of very different temperament who are both well fitted for the l'reluiership.• One represents the now i4inie and is a non-political statesman—Sir Eric Geddes, the present First Lord of the Admiralty. The other, Lord Robert Cecil, represents the old political tradition of the best kind. But though we name only two, there are other nausea worthy of the nation's most serious con- sideration. In the case of neither of the men we have mentioned would such an indiscretion as the Paris speech be possible.
Previous page
