LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
A PLEA FOR A RECONSTRUCTED MINISTRY. [To -the Editor of the SPECTATOR.j ,SIR,—In the above article of your issue -of October 7th you state that Mr. Lloyd George and Lord Birkenlaead should go and that Mr. Sonar Law, Lord Derby or the Duke of Devonshire should succeed Mr. Lloyd -George ,as Prime Minister. Have any of these gentlemen given Utterance to the effect that they are of opinion that'Mr. Lloyd George should go ? So far -as I am aware they have never criticized adversely the continuance of the Coalition Government or the continuance of the leadership of Mr. Lloyd George. And:if this is the case, why should they be willing to:supplant Mr. Lloyd George in the leadership ? Again, you state " Could not some of those responsible politicians who recognize that we have not exaggerated the dangers of Mr. Lloyd George's continuance in office `.get together' and convey to him that he can best -serve the country 'by resigning."
Who are these "-responsible politicians""? Are the accredited leaders of the• Conservative Party, who are Members -of the present Ministry, to be eliminated from the list, or are they to me their-best-endeavours to turn out the leader under whom they serve ? If they are not to be included in the list it would be interesting to know whom you would include. I take it the " Die-Hards ".and Lord Grey, and perhaps Mr. Asquith and some of the " Wee Frees," might come under this category. -God forbid that the choice of a leader of a Coalition Government, the composition of which is as much Conservative as Liberal, if not -more so, should rest in such hands. A certain -section of the Conservative Party seem to be obsessed with .the desire not only to get rid of Mr. Lloyd George 'but of the Coalition Government, and to return to Party strife. I don't believe that there is a singleConservath included in this section under whose leadership the Party would dream of serving.
Whether one is a Conservative or a Liberal one -should be fair, and I -maintain that the present virulent and personal attack on-the Prime Minister by a certain section of the Press and :by .certain individuals is grossly unfair—and not only unfair, but most inconsistent. The same people who abused Mr. Lloyd George for shaking hands with Alleged murderers in Ireland, and thereby preventing a most ghastly war between England and Ireland (exclusive of Ulster), are Bow abusing him for having taken a strong line with Turkey In the recent crisis and thereby risking a war.
Are the murders -in Ireland to be compared with the murders of the Armenians and other Christians by the Turks ?.and IS a war to prevent a possible world war to be compared with a war between ourselves and our fellow-kinsmen ? I should also like to ask you, What would be the position of Mr. Lloyd George's colleagues in the Ministry in the event of those " responsible politicians " persuading Mr. Lloyd George that he can " best serve the country by resigning." Will they CO2' tinue to serve under 'his successor or will they -follow their leader in retirement '? If they should take the 'latter course we should be -confronted with a General Election and the
possible if not probable, return of the Labour Party to power.
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