Mr. Lloyd George is proceeding on the principle that the
great thing is to pass his Bill—somehow and anyhow—as long as it is passed. If he cannot pass it one way it must be passed in another, so intense is his determination to get some- thing through and so avoid the appearance of failure. The reality of failure is, of course, upon him already, as he is in effect passing provisions which he knows will ultimately wreck his scheme. The next step in the downward path is to square the doctors. He will very possibly accomplish this by a process similar to that by which the Friendly Societies were squared. But here, again, victory will only be secured by surrender. What the final Bill will be like and what will be its results on our social and industrial life no one can tell, and Mr. Lloyd George, apparently, does not care. We are still doubtful, however, whether these mad tactics will be successful. A few more victories like the present may mean utter ruin. "Each fatal triumph brings more near the inevitable end." Mr. Lloyd George's one hope is in the closure and the guillotine. Just as the jerry-builder trusts to two feet of "mixed soil" to cover up his leaking pipes, his drains that run up-hill, and his disconnected cesspool, so Mr. Lloyd George counts upon the throttling of discussion to prevent the appal- ling muddle, financial and administrative, to which he has reduced his measure from being made clear to the nation.
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