MOB ORATORY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 717, 17 January 1910, Page 4

MOB ORATORY.

From whatever point of' ; view one may regard the election contest/now proceeding in Great Britain, all must; deplore thd /descent, of the . Chancellor of the Exchequer to -the languageoorf r the gutter ■in his; at- : . tacks on the(House. , of. Lords.;. The extracts from his .latest address, which appeared'in Saturday's, cable news, may' not.-fairly, represent'the tone ,'pf the: 'speech;, in; question, but. they, certainly offend all. .the canons' of good taste 'and must prove grievously disappointing : ' to.. those 1 , who' have not grudged their admiration to , Mrl LLotD-GEOiiQE:: in■/ his ' remarkable . campaign; in '. the Budgetproposals. ■It "is' difficult/ to/>believe* that, these offensive references to the Peers can in' any. way /further(the'interests' .which Mr.:. Lloyjd-Geoeoe■ is : so. anxious •• to -.;' advance,; and one . can only : attribute v,i them; (to a : state : of: mental dyspepsia.:due ; to ;the(stra,in 6f the election struggle.. In this' connection- it is worthy-of note .that the.Chancellor 'of ; th6 Exchequer is /credited by. his •.with' a: dual- personality. -It is said of him that- "a: cool: and' cautious speakefi careful not• ..to ;offend (by.'-extremes: of•':language, and 'properly courteous .to ' his! opponents. ;/ /When,, however,, he appears'on ;>tbe hustings he is a. rag-' ing volcano, 1 ; emitting; streams '..of ■scorching oratory, /"playing down"-, to -his/ appealing :oh ocpasions to. : the .lowest: passions of ;tho people.' 'Probably-this; picture: (of ■ the;. twp//LLOYD-GEOEOBS;'is' over:drawn; but, it has i spine (foundation: :in faet.VFpr'instancej..ih'.cpnfiection( with the election -campaign it. ivill ■.be', familiar':,to' v our..readers/that(; the ■On ancellbr : (of(-/the t ;; ;Exchequer (.delivered '.; ■:;two.■ ,|(very.;■: remarkable sp'ee'ches./(They"'were'known;as •'the. limehbuse' speech' and the. Newcastle; :Bpeech. ; ■:They':.pclipse'd :in. violence' of; language.'anything that 1 had pre'yiously; occurred ;-during : v /the ..canir gaign. ; :(( ; Me. (- Lloyd-/ EOEaE issued; a book (ori: the Budget •which(■ ebnsisted'/almost 'entirely,;. of reprints .of. hisCspeech'es on the 'Budget: ■ (TheHLirhehpuse( and((Newcastle speeches were, , ', However t (omitted.((ln .~his-']q6oler : ;momentsiv-apparentlyi/;'MB;--;LLQYD-GEOEQE:(didv hot care,-to^in : : elude I those( : speeches.. in? his 'bopk; : Th.6.':'Standafd\; one'' of : the (bitterest , ■opponents'of. the^:Government! and /incidentally (of (; Mr; i' tLoyb-GrEORQE, /cominented, caustically (on this/pmis: sipri.' : ''--, After..-directing ■■attention;'to (the;, in'(toiio;between;;.-the. Chancellor's House; /of Oi)minq n f rspeoches and his'platform, addresses, 'itSprpceeds :-..(;•':'( .—/;(■■■ •': : ,(■;[!(;;(/- -V'--' i/.Thus'/on;looking :tiiroiigh;/the/;..vblume' we/do not notice ' those "attacks and-, full-flavoured.. anecdotes' ■ aDJd ■ adjeo-. .tiyes. whioh! have' breated/so profound an'impression. Mr./Lloyd-George's admirers who buy/the pamphlet hoping -to regale /themselves.'piiraer'fraements of therhe-/ rtoijio-;of.. Lirnchouso/will be/disappointed. 'Tlieae"lspeojmena,'of : /Radicai-Sooiaust., in-Teotiye'-are" not' reprinted:-:'../ One; specu-'. ■latesc-as: to .the'/reason.'.' , Can.- it;;be ithat Jf r.' , . Lloyd-George is (already ashamed ;ijf, ; them ?■ '.Or. are'; we (' to •: eappbse.' ,thato /he has/disijOTered: by. this. Time r that even-the multitude.'to.', irhom/he.is.;'appealing'are hot to be■'captivated by .rancorous : ; ox : ■hibitions. of sodialien'vy/and/olass'.'prejudioei > ./;Even a;:"People's.Budget" is' not . rendered /acceptable,; by! 'methods ■ 'which Englishmen >iew with; siispicioii./and su'r-.' prise: , . You cannot, in Liucoln's/niemor.able/phrase, 'fool /all'. 1 the people all-Vthe-■time,. though Zh<S. adinitted; that < it-is". pos : ; 'sible iio.iooV: "some of Sthe , people -.'some :of:.the' : 'time."--'.Are : we;iustined in.'assum--ing ;■ tliat .:■ these significant .omissions;'imply /a/: :recogmtion : • of .'.this '■:■ elementary, truth; in' 'political^'psychologrf-V ;::;,V. V , .'.

The London Times, which is also opposed to the Government, commented in similar, though milder, fashion on the omission. It seemed for the moment that the class of tactics objected to was to be dropped and the concluding stages of the election fought on the merits of the rival policies. Mn. Lloyd-George, however, if the cable news is correct, has indulged in a worse outburst than before. his staunchest friends must deploi'e this degradation of political warfare.