4 FEBRUARY 1928, Page 2

* * * * Probably the popular disbelief in Liberalism

is due to the average man's strong feeling about Mr. Lloyd George's Fund. This dislike of an irregularity seemed likely to declare itself, and now there is no getting away from the fact -that it has declared itself. A voter with no strong political convictions may waver in almost any direction, but he will not waver towards a Party which he thinks is cynical. Those who really understand the Liberal Party would never accuse it, as such, of cynicism, but the bald verdict which goes against it time after time is traceable to the willingness of the Party to accept Mr. Lloyd George's. Fund with very little questioning about its origin or, about the impropriety of a political fund standing in the name of a single person. - Until this millstone is removed from the Party's neck the organizing abilities of Herbert Samuel will be wasted. Mr. Maitland is- to be heartily congratulated on his victory, for he .:was,.a4 stranger to the constituency and he had been,Warned that; he could not expect to succeed unless he -removed- the fears o£-the dockyard workers and gave some definite satisfaction to the aggrieved farmers.