Evening star., 1924-03-02
British Broaden Base of Democracy
Through Their Labor Government

at once or decay slowly AS for the familiar
American Interrogation point about the fu-
ture Of Lloyd George. the answer seems to be
that his future still remains in the past.
The former prime minister sits beside As
uuith in the liberal councils, but his own
personal following has dwindled to almost
nothing In the excessively remote contin-
gency Of a liberal government AsQuith, not
Lloyd George, would be prime minister. If,
moreover, the liberal party should break up.
it is hard to see where Lloyd George could
go with distinction. Labor wants nothing of
him on any terms; the tories vastly more
bitter toward him than toward Ramsay Mac
donald. So long the liberal party lasts he
has shelter. OF course. his ability, his relative
youth, make 1t foolish to forecast his perma-
nent exile from power, yet at least Temporal
rily he is, in the American phrase down and
out"
Cabinet May Last a Year.
To sum up, then. to measure labor pros
poets by the present state Of opinion in this
country. the Macdonald cabinet will last from
six months to year; 1t will undertake moth
ing fundamentally radical until it decides the
moment has come to surrender Office. Its one
chance of large lies in the foreign
field. Most of the things which 1t might
achieve at home only be achieved fol-
lowing a foreign settlement which makes pos
sible saving of money devoted to
tional defense
In word then. yesterday out of power.
labor was in revolution: today In office, 1t is
the government Yesterday 1t attacking
the old parties with all the enthusiasm Of a
new movement; today it Is facing the old
problems with an ever-numbing sense Of
sponsibility.
What the United States Senate did to Borah
when it made him chairman of the committee
to Investigate the Russian questln and thus
deprived him Of the position k,f critic Of
Hughes on Russian non n-recog gniVon policy the
British nation has somehow done to the labor
party. AT all events, the motive in case,
instinct In the other. tie same; the re-
suits may not be dissimia:. The tory con-
tention Is that labor means to be conservative
now while it lacks a real majority, thus in
spring confidence: later, when 1t obtains real
power. 1t will disclose the coven hoof Of ex-
treme radicalism. This may be SO, but other
tories assure me that the mass of labor, par
ttcularly the trade union factions, solidly
conservative in all important issues
At all events, the country remains extreme
ly calm over labors arrival. One dukes son.
not. to be sure, a laborte has assured me Of
his pride In the character Of the labor min
istry. met at least earl and half a
dozen lords at labors first reception.
VIII Represent All Elements.
The real change consequent upon the labor
government may not be any profound modi-
fcatton in form, but rather insure that all fu-
ture cabinets will be considerably more rep
resentative OF all elements in the British pop
ulation. the whole less dominated by old
moreover, will certainly be marked in the
tory as in the labor ranks. for Just labor
is now out to annex the lords, the tories
seeking to conscript the proletariat
For the moment the pendulum has swung
over very far in the direction of the masses,
of the industrial masses, so far as cabinet
offices are concerned. 1t is to swing
back again. but hardly all the way. Thus, so
far from indulging in any destructive revo-
luton, 1t may turn out that the British people
hoy nnlv fha hoH
democracy, which was. Of course, really much
broader than 1t seemed to a foreign eye.
The arrival OF class, moreover, in
stead OF smashing the democratic machine, at
least promises together with new men and
women. to bring new energies, fresh vitality;
in fact, real renaissance
I have tried to emphasize before that all
that will be done must be done within the
fixed limits OF British tradition Tomorrow
will still be able to recognize yesterday with
out difficulty, although yesterday is definitely
gone, which. take 1t. Is the British way
Copyright. 1874 by the Mcclure Newspaper syndcate