The Press. Thursday, December 7, 1916. The English Crisis.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15767, 7 December 1916, Page 6

The Press. Thursday, December 7, 1916. The English Crisis.

The resignation of Mr Asquith. following that of Mr Lloyd George, has liarl the effect (if clearing the decks for action, so to speak, and the further fact that the King sent for Mr Bonar Law givos us hope that we shall soon sco a termination of the present crisis l'y the formation of a new Ministry better fitted for the vigorous prosecution of the war than that which has just gone out of office. One thing is certain, namely, that the country will not allow Mr Lloyd George to retire into private life at this juncture. The case is very dif- [ ferent from that of Lord Randolph Churchill, "who forgot Goschcn," or that of his gifted but equally erratic son. Mr Winston Churchill. When they retired nobody raised any serious objection, the situation being accepted with an equanimity which they must have found mortifying. But Mr Lloyd George hag gained the thorough confidence of the country, which believes that whatever energy has been displayed in connexion with the war is largely the- result of his initiative and driving power. Tim public will therefore not accept any Ministerial combination which does not include him as a prominent figure. The King has followed the constitutional course in sending for Mr Bonar Law, who was leader of the Opposition before the formation of the National Ministry. From the point of view of tho interest of the Empire wo aro inclined to think that the best arrangement would be a Ministry with Mr Bonar Law as Prime Minister, the active conduct of the war being ontrusted to M r Lloyd George and Sir Edward Carson on tho understanding that while the War Council, as a matter of course, retain control of the general policy, Sir William Robertson and Sir John Jelliooo are given a free hand in the conduct of the actual operations of war on land and sea. Wo take it for granted that the Prime Minister will either be nominally chairman of tho small War Council which, it is proposed to set up, or else that he will have the power of veto on the resolutions of the Council. So long as we have responsible Government the Prime Minister must be held accountable for the policy adopted in carrying on the war. Mr Bonar Law has shown himself a man of singularly clear judgment, and could bo trusted not only to show a sound discretion when conflicting views of policy arose, but at all times to act with promptitude and decision. The fatal weakness of Mr Asquith was that he took refuge in delay, hoping that some settlement of the difficulty would come without his intervention. To temporise and seek tho lino of least resistance is all very well in politics in time of peace, but wo have had convincing evidence that it is fatal to the successful prosecution of war. Mr Lloyd George has shown an amount of caution unusual in a man of his temperament, and we do not say that his appointment as Prime Minister in this crisis, if ho had been sent for by the King, would not be fully justified by tho results. Wo do not forget that in dealing with the financial crisis at the opening of the war he took care to be guided by the best financial experts, and we do not doubt that in regard to the actual operations of war he would place himself in the liands of Sir William Robertson and Sir John Jellicoe, instead of taking command of tho operations himself, as Mr Winston Churchill appears to have done in the case of the first Dardanelles adventure. Sir Edward Carson is another man to whom the' 1 country looks with confidence at the present time as a strong personality, such as the Empire needs. Mr Bonar Law has proved himself so absolutely public-spirited and free from anything liko self-seeking that we do not believe he would have objected to serving uridcr Mr Lloyd George. The ■same thing may bo said of such leading Ministers as Sir E. Carson, Mr Walter Long, and Mr Austen Chamberlain. The Empire will ever owe a debt of gratitude to tho Unionist Party as a whole for the manner in which they set aside party interests in order to meet the great crisis of the war. Should Mr Bonar Law s ucceed as Prime Minister in forming a Ministry, we hope that the bulk of the Liberal Party will show an equal spirit of loyalty and self-sacrifice, for the welfare of the country- It is eminently desirable, wo think, that tho position should be cleared up without plunging the country into the turmoil and distraction of a general election.