Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-30
BY EDWARD PRICE BELL.
Especial CabIeRram to The Star anS
Chicago Daily News.)

(Specfnl SaDleGfam to The STAR ana
Chicago Daily NewsD
Copyright, 1917. by the Chicago Daily News
Company
LONDON, July 30.-Three years OF
unprecedented war have left the Brit
ish nation absolutely confident of the
final triumph Of democracy. If the sit
uation was never more serious than 1t
Is today. Britons, in spite of all they
have sacrificed and suffered. were never
more hopeful or determined. David
Lloyd George. the present premier.
tells one this, and one cannot doubt his
sincerity. Herbert H. Asquith and Ar
thur Balfour, former premiers, make
similar declarations with equal hon
esty. Andrew Bonar Law and every
other member of the government agree.
huge tasks remain to be performed the
morale and strength of the democracies
are growing. and that the idea of vic
tory for political medievalism Is fan
tastfc. The heads of the army and
navy-those In London and In the field
or afoat-share these views. Not at
all do they put a low estimate upon
what the Germans may yet do. They
rather put high estimate upon what
the free nations fighting for their
birthright will do.
Labor Standing Firm.
Labor stands firm. Men and women,
al1ke-the women with peculiar vehe-
mence--challenge the future. Pacifism
cries feebly in the wilderness. Only
nineteen votes could be mustered for
the peace talk in the house Of commons
this week, though Ramsey Macdonald
with his satellites did their utmost.
How seriously these men should be
taken may be gathered from Philip
Snowden's assertion that the French
soldiers are disobeying orders and that
America owes her participation in the
war to her Capitalists and f1nanciers."
AS for the French soldiers tho Craonne
ridge or California plateau should be a
sufficient answer, while the Americans.
SO far as Snowden's remarks about
them is concerned, can answer for
themselves.
British "intellectuals" who pretend
to speak for labor. urge steps toward
peace, but the British men and women
who actually labor want no peace that
leaves the German people enslaved and
threatens peoples already free with
slavery. Then, is there no unrest among
the working people OF Britain? There
is unrest, but no unrest that can be
interpreted as dissatisfaction with the
war. Such discomfort as exists-and
there is much of it-arises from the be-
lief of the working population that the
proflteers are preying upon the pa
triotism of the people. Lord Rhondda,
the food controller, acknowledges that
this suspicion Is not groundless and he
proposes to bring the offenders to book.
All who know the people know that he
cannot act too resolutely or promptly.
The MacDonald-Snowden school has
been permitted to spread its views in
the country without much opposition.
Hereafter. particularly during the COM
ing fall, much will be done to counter
act the efforts Of these men and flu
inmate the actual position as between
Germany and the allies.
To Enlighten the People.
I'VE shall enlighten our people" says
Andrew Bonar Law, mot because we
fear the influence of those who live in
a world of unrealities. but because the
ideals for which we fight cannot be
kept too sharply before the national
mind. Our paciflsts have done serv-
ice for peace by forcing a division in
the house of commons in which the
world gets unmistakable evidence of
their insignaficance."
AS one man the government holds
that the reichstag resolutions appear
ing to renounce conquest and annexa-
ton introduce no change into the stu
alton. 1t is recognized that symptom
atically they are not encouraging. but
it is believed that any relaxation on