New-York tribune., 1922-12-17
Bonar Law Put
Normally Note
In Conference
Firmness Of Premier Gave
Needed Stability to Lon
don Farley Without Csus-
ing Flash Of Spotlight
Mussolini Is Show Piece
Italinn Furnishes Almost
Only Spectacular Touch
to Rather Drab Meeting
By Ware B. Wells
sy.casl csbs 10 rA4 r-b-r'

LONDON.
Alike in lts staging. the casting Of
the conference Of Allied prsmisrs,
which stands adjourned from here 70
Paris, strikes a sharp note In con-
tras, vi.h its long lIst Of prsdeess'ors'
The theater metaphor, Indeed, thls time
Is BIT unfair, FOR the feature OF this
conference Is that Ais.rIonle effects
have gone into the discard, and the
international drama has cot TO sue
eeed or fail on its own merits.
II is true that there vas q chorus
Of United States HnabassAdors. who. BY
a singular coincidence, chose 10 assem-
bic IN Loadon jusl A. the time the con
ference was staged. but these belonged
rather 20 the audience than TO the
setors. There was no army Of movie
operators following the spotlight and
timing che action. and there were no
bags Of golf sticks prominently dis
played opposite the prompt box.
The policy a. we'll a. the personality
Of Premier Bonhr Law. who vas the
eonferen.e chairman. disposed him on
this occasion 10 strike what President
Harding calls normally II not quite
wha, he himself calls tranquility as the
keynote OF the proceedings staged In
the drab building at Downing Street
i,s,.sd Of In some exotic Msditer-
raneAn resort.
Reaction 1s Violent
The new adninistrations reaction
from Lloyd Georgian methods Is 20
violent that the Foreign once has re-
ver,ed 10 It's traditional froten-fAesd
attitude in regard 10 publicity; nor
could /, be moved from this standpoint
bv the polite. well.foundsd prediction
that the British were the only delega'
tion which was likely 10 treat at all
literally the usual vow Of secrecy
Amlable. cool. shrewd, the very in
eArnation Of normally. the Scotsman
who is the new British Premier has an
unexpected vein Of hrmness with which
mis- Premier colleagues, as well I"
those whose business II 10 70 report
the conference, have got 70 reckon
OF all the great Parliamentary hguFe'
OF the war period perhaps the enly one
Who stands out as having emerged pe-
li.eally stronger from the ordeal 10
Bonar Law. a newcomer in the held Of
international conferences, which his
predecessors explored up and down
Europe. He just beat Mussolini In the
competition for the junior position
amoag premiers. having become the
Premier Of England just ten days be-
fore Mu,solini took bis dramatic leap
into power in Italy. The Fascist Pre-
mier arrived in London six weeks 70
the day after he headed the revolution-
arv army Of black shirts which sur
rounded Rome. Poinesrs and Theuni''
on the other hand. are old Stagsrs a.
these gatherings.
Theunis. the Belgian Premier, i'
bio industrialist. whose financial eaPee-
i.v proved 20 be Of intense yaGs'
adding solldity TO the theatrieslism OF
the earlier conferences Poineare,
equally typical Of bourgeois France
was formal, precise and stih. evidently
quite Bit uneasy about his position
AZ home in relation to the conference.
and Il will provide Europe with plenty
Of drama IL France decides to celebrate
the new year with 4 plunge toward the
Ruhr. but personally no more than his
British and Belgian colleagues 10 ne a
dramatic figure.
MussollnI In Spotlight
After o long spell Of Lloyd Georgian
tradition. however. the international
conference was without one member Of
the cast who acted everybody else on
the stage, and In the unavoidable ABB
seree Of the usual star perfefmet on
this occasion the spotlight fell on the
.niemate hgurs who iS carrying black
shlrt-slesve diplomacy from Rome
toward Europe.
The revolutionary Premier Of Italy
made his entrance into and his exit
from London which, aside from
brief scene at Tsritet. was his first ap-
pearanee since his Roman dtbut-amid
the shouting and singing Of hundreds
OF his fellow eountrymen from the Ital-
ian colony here. beaded by several
platoons Of bis own Fascist Both ne
and Poincare were staying at the Clar-
idge. The picturesque drama Of Mus
solini's entrance left his colleagues at
the post.
Who occupied the state suitsf
Looks like the bedroom Of a commu-
mist king" remarked q visitor. after
surveying the vermilior furnishings for
the Socialist chiefs apartment II is
10 be conceded that the gilt mir
rored splendor Of his surroundings
lent nething bat lmpressiveness 10 the
Italian Premier.
But he has q good eye for effect, and
while the British we're silent and the
French we're content 10 convey their
viewpoint second hand. Mussolini VAS
always ready TO receive an interviewer
personally with a superb gesture Of eH-
tended hand and flashing smile.
Whether the intervention Of an aggres-
sive lowl with the black protest Of an
ill.supprcssed beard at the conference
table IA quite as impressive ia another
.tnr.- hnt ihat Itr d fnr tha HraL Lirnn