The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-12-09
BRITISH LABOR IS SHY OF COALITIONS
Possibility Of Soon Control ling Government Results In
 Cautious Attitude
By CHARLES M'CANN Leased Wire to The Age-Hcrald

NANoStu NsAA6 tV hC
 LONDON. Dec. 8.-British labor, visualizing the possibility of soon ac- bility of soon accomplishing It's aim complaining its aim to control the government. will probably stand aloof from any conditions attempting to bring order out of Britains re- cent political confusion.
 It was before the war days when John Burns. a laborite, was well comed into tho liberal government as a sop to labor, and during the war labor co-operated with the coalition government for time. But since then, labor has gone it's way alone. rewarded by spectacular success. un- til today, emerging from this week S general elections, it hears the cry of a great mass for the first time:
 Three cheers for Ramsey Mac Donald, our next premier--a labor premier"
 But labor has not yet completely achieved its objective-and 1t may be years before it does. It will not likely join forces with any other party un less it can dominate that party and neither the conservatives nor the liberals find 1t possible to rest with labor in bed built upon the stand ards of & capital tax levy and naturalization of railroads and mines.
 So. many political leaders believe the time is ripe to force labor's hand and, by doing 1t now, impair Its pres tige for the future. There are per sistent reports which appear to be well-founded that Premier Baldwin will. tender his resignation to the King Monday. The King would then have the choice of asking Baldwin f0 fAr trnn in 1n of effecting some satisfactory coali- tion government.
 Macdonald Might Accept.
 Political leaders believe that Mac Donald might accept the charge, but, they point out, if he did, the prestige so won would be short lived, because he coud not carry out labor's pro- gram in the face of liberal and con- servative opposition. In short, they argue, labor would be lifted to the heights, only to be immediately dropped to the depths and would lose thereby some of the ground its move- ment has gained in the last few years.
 There are others, however. who would not risk giving labor even chance of running the government. In a general way the British political situation today Is not unlike that 37 years ago when Gladstone broke the liberal party of England by sponsor ing the movement for Irish home rule. The labor party today repre- sents the same undesirable quan- tity" from the viewpoint of the other parties, as Gladstone, plus the Irish nationalists, represented In 1886.
 To meet the eXigencies of the sit uation, then, the liberals who did not follow Gladstone in his home rule movement joined hands with the conservatives and succeeded in &C., tually thwarting home rule in Ireland for over 30 years.
 Similar Coalition Expected.
 Some such similar coalition is ex- patton. There is very great likelihood uatien. There is very great Likelihood that, rather than call new election imme diately, which would be the only alternative, every effort will be made to effect a con. bination of the con servatives and Asquith- Lloyd George liberals, to stay the march of labor.
 The liberals who joined such a CO., alition would be expected, however, to retain their party identity. This would constitute a working arrange ment whereby the liberals would seek to broaden the view of the con- servatives while the conservatives would seek to make the liberals less radical. Out or 1t might emerge, then, a man who could go before the country "on his own" and command a following such as would return a conservative party in power at the next elections and thus deefat the aims of labor.
 O O O
 Lloyd George Silent.
 Lloyd George for the moment is Keeping his own counsel. but it is