Evening star., 1923-03-25

I deed, Ramsay MacDonald's position
throughout the world war was so in
excuSably wrong that those who are
/ impartial enough to recognize In him
some fine qualities and to admit that
there is in him d possible power of
good for the future are willing and
even anxious to obliterate the mem-
orieS of this phase of his past
That IS what King George has done.
and In doing SO he has undoubtedly
followed the course which would have
been adopted by his father, Edward
VII, if confronted by similar situa-
tion. This has been all the easier
through the fact that Macdonald. al
though the son of an agricultural la
borer. IS a highly educated and trav-
eled man, fluent In several languages,
besides possessing marvellous COM
mand of oratory-a man who. hav-
Ing married a wife possessed of some
fortune, has been able to afford dis
! intereStednesS and to endow his chill
dren with an education which he him
self was obliged to acquire under ar
duous and disheartening c1rcum-
stances: a man of strong convictions,
! yet of sentiment and of heart to
whose finer feelings it is often possi-
bic to appeal, and then not in vain.
\ = \
Some of the members of the inde-
pendent labor party. Of which Ramsay
Macdonald is the sincere and enthusi-
astic leader, are extremely intransi-
gent in their political views-men
such as David Kirkwood, the repre-
sentative of Glasgow in the House Of
| Commons, who, while he accepts the
/ leadership OF Ramsay Macdonald and
Philip Snowden and j. H. Thomas.
! who have broken bread with the king
and queen at Buckingham palace, has
| declined the royal bidding on the
ground that 1.-The monarch is the pin
nacle of the system which some of
| US here are out to smash, and 1t is
not possible to fight against those
whom he represents and at the same
! time to dine with them" Upon COM
| munists of this type Macdonald and
Snowden, with their remarkable gifts
Of eloquence and their profound
| knowledge of the psychology, the
| idiosyncrasies and of the weaknesses
OF the men arrayed under their ban
ner, are in a position to WELD no lit
tie influence, and, IL need be, salu-
4 tary restraint
1t is probable that King George
may have had something of the kind
in mind when he turned very deaf
ear to those who wish him to mani
| fest ill-will and prejudice against
Macdonald and Snowden on account
| OF the unfortunate course Wnlcn Trey
, both pursued during the great war.
In showing himself cordial toward
them. in consenting to dine with them
| and with their wives at Lady Astor's
I house in st. James square. in subse-
quently inviting them to afternoon
parties and to dinners at Buckingham
palace, and in treating them with
| particular graciousness, King George
has done exactly what Edward VII
would have done under similar cir
cumStances.
1 !: y x 4
1t was always the late kings en-
| deavor' to win men to his cause, to
that of his dynasty and to that of
! Great Britain, instead of doing any
! thing to antagonize them or in al
! lowing whatever hostility they en-
| tertained to grow and develop. He
never missed chance OF making a
friend. I remember a curious instance
Of his tact and diplomacy in this re-
| spect. The late Anthony Mundella, who
was born in England as the son Of an
exiled carbonari, held for many years
the leadership Of the extreme RADICAL