Evening star., 1924-03-16
Macdonald Wants Advancing Europe;
Bans Intrigue in Gaining Ends

ly, there is at the moment more optimism in
London today over the ultimate prospect of
settlement in Europe than has been discovera-
BILE for the past four years. Ramsay Macdonald
has just begun. He has a long way to go to
restore British prestige, to enlist French con-
fidence, to regain European influence, but he
has done more than a little; he is frankly
giving his best energies to this field and he
perceives clearly that the fate of labor as a
government and its future may we'll be de-
cided by the ultimate fortune of his foreign
policy.
Would End Subterfuxe.
Mr. Macdonald said to me, and it is the key
note of all that he has said and done since he
took Office, that it is useless to undertake to
deal with details while there is between the
two countries an atmosphere of suspicion and
of doubt. He has sought, and will continue
to seek, to eliminate everything which sug-
gests trick subterfuge, maneuver Unlike
Lloyd George, he will not hold forth promises
which cannot be realized, and, unlike Lord
Curzon, he will not make threats which will
later be disclosed to have been empty.
In a word, he will neither try to bam-
boozle France nor to coerce France. He is
profoundly aware that the real pacification of
Europe must be by common agreement by
mutual concession and a result of a COM
mon desire and necessity for a general ad-
justment- AS Scotchman. the prime minister
is not a visionary; as an old parliamentary
expert, he is not believer in patent rene
dies. To judge by all of his record, patience
is the most important ingredient in any peace
policy
Prime Minister to Guide.
British foreign policy, labors foreign poll
cy. so long as the present ministry lasts. will
be almost exclusively made by the prime min
lister. He brings to it certain qualities hither-
to lacking, odd combination of international
sympathy. coupled with a profound belief in
the national point of view. He will have 1
should guess a larger measure O the national
support than any one of his predecessors. Ny
judgment Is that he will offer France the best
terms now obtainable from Great Britain, but
that II his offers rejected, the consolida-
tion Of national sentiment against France will
be complete. and from the French point of
view deplorable
In any event, 1abor's foreign policy opens a
new period in European relations. British poll
cy, which has been confused and confusing,
obscure and inconsistent, is likely to be
pretty clear and definite now, and without the
intrigue of Lloyd George the arrogance of
Curzon, to follow national course, while es-
Gaping the appearance of insular selfshness
Sympathy for France will not be uninfuenced
by the determination to Germany economi-
cally restored, but in foreign in domestic
affairs British revolution will express itself
with a conservatism which is at once charac.
teristc and bewildering, and labors first
prime minister will seek not to achieve mira
cles but If possible to promote information
al state of mind in which conflicting national
interest may be considered with utmost frank
ness and dealt with in atmosphere of mu-
tual confidence. -a-ar.-=
Copyright 1924 by the Mcclure Sevspsper synd;eate