BRITISH EMPIRE: Hail! Caesar

Ex-Premier David Lloyd George, accompanied by Dame Lloyd George and Miss Megan Lloyd George, arrived in the U. S. for the first time in his life.

It was difficult to determine whether Mr. George or the U. S. was the more impressed. Said the ex-Premier : " I want to see how you are solving your problems. We have our troubles in Europe—great troubles. You seem to have overcome them here. I'd like to know how."

The people of the U. S. made up for Mr. George's simple eloquence by the volume and intensity of their welcome—thousands of cheering citizens lined the streets of Manhattan to do homage to Britain's War-time Premier, one of the Big Four who directed the " War for Peace" after the 1918 armistices. The press extended a welcome that will never be forgotten by the ex-Premier; J. Butler Wright, Third Assistant Secretary of State, welcomed him to the U. S. in the name of President Coolidge.

On the afternoon of his arrival the Board of Directors of the United Press Associations tendered Mr. George a luncheon. Roy W. Howard, Chairman of the United Press, presiding, introduced the guest of honor, claiming him (in Mr. George's words) " as a very recent recruit to journalism."

Then Newton D. Baker, Secretary of War under the Wilson administration, arose to deliver a very able speech of welcome. Mr. Baker recalled the indefatigable energy with which Premier Lloyd George conducted his post during the War. Said he: " Great minds are needed for great matters, and history will always acknowledge the debt of civilization to the fact that England had Lloyd George and France had Clemenceau and Italy had Orlando and the U. S. had Woodrow Wilson at that time."

His speech was excellent in that it gave a good idea of the magnitude of the great man's mind; it was restrained and sober in that it avoided exaggeration and yet paid admirable tribute to a man whose greatness cannot fairly be contested even by his greatest enemies. Adapting what Shakespeare said of Cleopatra to David Lloyd George, Mr. Baker said:

" Age cannot wither him, nor custom stale His infinite variety." Concluding, the ex-Secretary of War turned to the ex-Premier and said: " You are welcome, sir, to the United States!"

Laying down his cigar Mr. Lloyd George arose. Standing with his pince-nez poised in his left hand and describing himself as a " plain Euro-pean," the ex-Premier said he was a very old journalist—once he was associated with The Trumpet of Freedom, which had a circulation of 500 a week, " except on fair-days, when it reached 1,000." He went on to give thanks for his splendid welcome, stating that " no Britisher talks of Americans as foreigners " and that " the real founder of the British Empire as we know it was George Washington." He then outlined the troubles of Europe and professed himself confident that the dark clouds would roll by.

The day following the ex-Premier and his party left for Montreal.

Questions and Answers:

Q. What can you say of conditions in Europe?

L. G. " Conditions in Europe are not very good—are they ? "

Q. Will you call upon Mr. Woodrow Wilson when you reach Washington?