without making any impression on Mr. Lloyd George's programme, which was evidently to be made the "acid test" of Liberal orthodoxy at a Party Conference, Sir Alfred felt that he had no alternative but to withdraw from the Liberal Party. In frank, straightforward letters to its titular leader and to its actual leader, he announced his intention of forthwith joining the Conservatives, and when the House of Commons re-assembled after the Recess this ex-Liberal Minister made his way to the congested Ministerial benches.

Ir cannot be said, even by their warmest admirers, that Welsh Wizards are good losers. When they lose office they publicly gloat over the legacy of Bad Losers difficulties they have left their successors. When they lose elections they lose their tempers. But they surpass themselves whenever they lose a friend, and Mr. Lloyd George's treatment of Sir Alfred Mond must have been an eye-opener to the Chosen People of which he could not make too much so long as they said "Ditto " to him. Indeed, at one time so marked was the Coalition Prime Minister's penchant for Jews for the highest posts, however unsuitable, that "no Christian need apply" became popular catchword. But directly he is crossed by one of this favoured race, as in the case of Sir Alfred Mond, Mr. Lloyd George explodes in a manner worthy of the most rabid anti-Semite. He permitted himself the following comment on his follower's defection, which we place on record as among the res gesta of our time:

a

I am not in the least surprised. He was obviously making tracks for the Tory Party. The land policy is only an excuse. His action has nothing to do with the land, or he would have gone to the Liberal Convention to present his case. If the decision had gone against him, he could then have acted.

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The real reason is given in that part of the letter where he reveals his conviction that the Liberal Party offers poor prospects for ambitious men. another notorious member of his race he has gone to his own place.

On this the Daily Telegraph (January 27th), which during many years turned a blind eye on Mr. Lloyd George's manifold failings, observed:

The reference in the last sentence is presumably Biblical. The first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles describes the choosing of Matthias to take up the apostleship "from which Judas fell, that he might go to his own place."

Mr. Lloyd George subsequently realized his own folly in thus insulting his best friends, and sought to attenuate what he had said, but this is emphatically a case of literæ scriptæ manent.

His
Opportunity

We do not pretend to see eye to eye with Sir Alfred Mond on public affairs, and for some reasons we regret his change of party. His example is being followed by other Liberals in various constituencies, with the result that the Liberal Rump will gradually, though inevitably, gravitate towards Socialism and a Liberal-Labour Coalition develop which might be even more pernicious than the late Liberal-Conservative Coalition, the evil effects of which will remain with us for at least a generation. By stopping inside the Liberal Party Sir Alfred Mond and other Liberals who are not Socialists might have effectually hindered this combination. However, there it is, and in one respect he is a valuable recruit to any Party at this juncture. We do not say this because he has become a Conservative. We pointed out at the time of the sham. debate in the House of Commons on the adoption of the Gold Standard last year-to which Ministers had committed the country without any mandate or any public discussionSir Alfred Mond was the solitary Front Bencher-in any of the three Parties, Conservative, Radical or Socialist-with any glimmering of an appreciation of the reaction of Finance upon Industry. Everything he said in deprecation of this appalling blunder has been verified by the event. We sincerely hope he will now play his part in educating the Conservative Party to the point of realizing that to allow the money-lending section of the nation to dictate our currency policy spells death, disaster, and damnation to British industries.

THE Politicians, as we have seen, under a Constitutional fiction are able to palm off their own indifferent opinions on the public through the imposing medium of "Scandalous" the Crown. Occasionally, only too rarely, his people have an opportunity of hearing what the King

really thinks, and it is a keen popular satisfaction to realize how closely His Majesty's views and feelings accord with those of his subjects. There is, indeed, more similarity of outlook between King George and the British People than between Politicians and People. The Politicians are, generally speaking, Highbrows-or at any rate it is "the thing" for them to pose as such. But "the man in the street is not a Highbrow-nor is the King, nor indeed any member of the Royal Family. A striking incident of the sympathy between the Sovereign and his subjects occurred the other day at the British Industries Fair at the White City, Shepherd's Bush. It was opened in an inspiring speech-simple, direct, sincere, and sensible-by the Prince of Wales, who when he says Buy British Goods "* means it, and does it. This great exhibition was subsequently visited by the King and Queen with their usual thoroughness. On learning from the export sales-manager of the Imperial Typewriter Co., of Leicester, that foreign typewriters are used in all our Government offices, and that the machines in actual use at the British Industries Fair by the official section are all of American manufacture, the King turned to the President of the Board of Trade (Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister) with an indignant :

"What is the meaning of this? If other Governments can buy these machines, why cannot they be used in our own departments?

Sir Philip could only meekly reply: "I will look into it." Mr. Mawle, of the Imperial Typewriter Company, then said to His Majesty:

"If we had the Government's order we could employ one more man for a week for every machine purchased."

The King, moving away from the stand, remarked: “It is scandalous. I will see that the matter is looked into."

It is, indeed, scandalous that British typewriters which are good enough for foreign Governments should be taboo by

*The present writer was horrified to receive a much-abbreviated report in the Scotsman and other important newspapers of an address he delivered at the City of London Debating Club, in which he was supposed to have “attacked ” the policy of Buy British Goods. Such a report must either be due to the total inability of the speaker to say what he means, or to stone-deafness in the authorreporter. "Buy British Goods" is not a cry, but a creed, which this inarticulate speaker practises as well as preaches.

our own. It is humiliating that such a scandal should continue under a Conservative Government, most of whose members are Protectionists.

Post

THE past month has been eventful in the history of our ever-green contemporary, the Morning Post, which goes from strength to strength. One could Don't Miss the scarcely open a single issue without finding an authoritative pronouncement by one of the world's leading statesmen, and though in such a galaxy of talent it were somewhat invidious to select one particular bouquet, we shall not risk offence by saying that the statement that caused most pleasure to most readers of the Morning Post was probably Signor Mussolini's testimony to the importance and value of Anglo-Italian friendship, and his obviously sincere appreciation of Great Britain. This was all the more generous in the great Italian Prime Minister and patriot, because anything less generous than the attitude of the British Press towards him and his contribution to civilization it would be hard to imagine. Even those of our public men who admire his magnificent fight against Bolshevism have been singularly reticent in expressing their sentiments-doubtless from fear of offending Labour politicians. Fear of some kind seems to be the motive power of most latter-day politicians, who consequently rather resent Signor Mussolini's breach with "the traditions of timidity." Another feature of the Morning Post is its enlistment of a posse comitatus of prominent writers to provide a daily causerie of wit and wisdom under the heading "Notes of the Day," briefly expressing any views they please on any subjects of their choice. This should prove spicy. Last, but by no means least, among our contemporary's recent achievements was the publication of a spontaneous letter of thanks from President Cosgrave for the notable services of the Morning Post in promoting peace and good will between Northern and Southern Ireland. It was a tribute of which any paper would be inordinately proud, and it caused a tinge of green to suffuse some of those organs which preach that every political problem-especially the

Irish problem-is soluble by scuttling and surrender. We append the text of this historic document:

TO THE EDITOR OF THE Morning Post.

SIR,-May I express my appreciation of the efforts made by the Morning Post to facilitate a more comprehensive agreement between this Government and those of Belfast and Westminster ? The work of your Special Correspondent in endeavouring to smooth away difficulties which still remained after the London Conference of December last has been of great advantage.

But we value it all the more because it is a tangible evidence of English good will towards us in this time when we are striving to promote the interests of our own people in conjunction with those of Northern Ireland and England. The sympathy and practical assistance of the Morning Post has, believe me encouraged us in our efforts to reconcile the interests of the parties concerned.— Yours, etc.,

LIAM T. MACCOSGAIR,

President.

DUBLIN, February 13, 1926.

JUDGING by a recent decision of the House of Lords-plus the confession of Ministers in Parliament-British income taxpayers have been swindled by the GovernCongratulations ment for approximately a hundred and

to Captain Henning

twenty years. But for the public spirit and determination of Captain Henning, they would presumably have remained swindled for another hundred and twenty years. This plucky citizen had to fight the preposterous claim of the Crown-that he should pay income tax out of no income-all the way up from the General Commissioners to the highest Court of Appeal, although the decision of every Court en route was in his favour. The Crown counted on wearing him down, like countless other victims of the extortion of Somerset House which, in the art of applying the screw to small people, has nothing to learn from any Turkish Pasha, though conceivably its attitude towards more important personages is very otherwise. Even after two Commissioners and four Judges had decided in favour of Captain Henning, the Inland Revenue insisted on appealing to the House of Lords. Briefly his case was that, having received no income from certain shares in the year of assessment, he could not be legally taxed on income for that year because he had received income in previous years on the intolerable three-years average system.