THE SCAPEGOAT.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 2937, 14 March 1922, Page 6

THE SCAPEGOAT.

WHY' MR MONTAGU RESIGNED. 4 THE REA I, EXPLAN ATI ON. ’ ’ Electric Telegraph—Press Associittiou Copyright. (. Australian-N.Z. Cable Association.) London, March 12. The Hon. E. S. Montagu, late Secretary of State for India, addressing his constituents at Cambridge concerning hJis resignation over the publication of an Indian report, said the country should welcome Mr Lloyd George’s return to the principle of Cabinet responsibility. The gelllUS dictator now ruling* had oil many Occasions readied epochal decisions without consulting Cabinet, the most notable and recent instance being his decision to invite Russia to Genoa. Later, Colonel Amery, without Cabinet authority, published the Admiralty’s reply to the Geddes report. The real explanation of his dismissal was that in view of the threatened collapse of the Government, Mr Lloyd George wanted to offer his head on a charger to the Conservatives. Every member of the Cabinet had a copy of the Indian dispatch a week prior to its deliberation for publication, and Earl Curzoii or anyone else could have vetoed its publication if they wanted to, but no one did. Earl Curzoii, who missed and bungled opportunities. had disastrously embarras-

sed his policy in India. Instead of raising the question in the Cabinet, he wrote him after a Cabinet meeting a hectoring letter against his pioposed step. Mr Montagu said he had often been on the verge of resignation, but carried on hoping that he would be able to show the Indian Moslems that Hritnin’s pledges had not been irretrievably broken. Concluding luis -speech, be offered to resign his seat, but the meeting refused, and passed unanimously a vote ( f <•< «n fide nee in him.