Evening star., 1924-11-02

~ ALLIANCE in after-the- war
liberalism grew dangerous
to established institutions of
IL England
That in brief accounts for
the great reversal in British politics
during the past week, in which the
government of Prime Minister Mac
Donald, the first Laborite ever to hold
,such exalted position in the empire,
was overthrown decisively through d
great Conservative sweep. This will
enable the Tory elements of the ma
tion to organize a Parliament and
government with preponderent ma
jorities and pursue, unperturbed, such
courses as may be adopted for the
advance of the nation.
The people of England began to be-
lieve that in continuance of the So
cialistic policies of Macdonald there
lay grief for old institutions and
cherished ideas of government. They
began to suspect infiltration of the
insidious gospels of Moscow. They
believed that the freeing of COM
munistic writer's, and a treaty with
the Soviet were but steps initiating
new trends toward new but
dangerous goal. When there was
sprung upon the unsuspecting a let
ter purportedly written by NJ. Zino-
vieff, president of the executive com
mittee of the Communist Interna-
tionale through the foreign Office OF
BritaIn-a note urging the spread of
communistic doctrines in the British
army and navy and crystalfzation of
radical effort in England-ali the
IAaborite denials that could be con-
ceived could not convince the British
people that shoals did not lie ahead
Firm for Old Order.
Shout, -bemean and assaiI as the
/ average Britisher may in the heat of
elections. he would no more change
his King, his form of government
than he would strike boiled beef and
! mutton from the menu. Had Mac
/ Donald ordered that the cooks of the
nation forever bar mutton and chops
he would not have been more bitter
! ly assailed than he was for even
| tolerating propaganda against the
| cherished things Of England
AS long as the Liberals and Con-
| servatives of England held the whiI
| hand over the Laborites, MacDonald's
| regime being a minority affair and
functioning solely by the whims and
/ tolerance OF political enemies, the
people of England did not worry
much. AS long as Macdonald was
! beholden to the Liberals and Con-
servatives for political aims in the
! way of support for various projects
! there always was present vetoing in
! fuences. But when an election was
ushered in by the Labor government
presumably with the intent of OBJ
! tanning working ma jority in Parlia
! ment, an UnobStructed majority, and
| the people were made to believe they
! were either voting for-reaction or
| retention of the old order they chose
! the old scheme of things and with
| such force that it is extremely doubt
| full that there will be another Labor
government for many. many years.
1t must not be taken for granted
that the Labor party is in state of
| demise, and that when Stanley Bald
win resumes the prime Ininistershir
! he will be able to place a Gala lily
! in the hands of the LaboriteS in ap-
propriate obsequies, for such is not
! the case. The Labor element OF
! British political and social life is a
permanent factor. 1t will continue
so. Always it may form the main
! opposition to the government or the
! rallying point for opposition to all
! Conservative or Liberal governments
7 Road to Destruction.
Once there must have been in the
. minds of British Liberal and Con-
, servative leaders the old adage tha,
! whom the Lord would destroy he frs,
/ would make mighty. In this might
be reason for any Labor govern
| ment at any time. Immediately after
| the war the Laborites gained by leaps
and bounds. creating CONSERVATION in
| the hearts and minds of the Conserv.
| atives and Liberals. People were not
| wholly convinced that in labor con.
| troll of government panacea for many
of the wartime ills could be found.
! Lloyd George was overthrown and
! Baldwin subsequently was forced to bow
| to the inevitable in Parliament. Labor
| continued to gain. The situation became
| unbearable, and it is not without reason
| to believe that the Conservatives and
Liberals decided that whenever the op-
! portunity arose they would thrust Labor
/ into power. test it. weigh it and prove
! to the people its inefficiency and dan
! gerous features of it's policies. At any
/ rate Labor was thrust into the breach
| and the Liberal and Conservative lead
! ers permitted Mr.. Macdonald to pro-
/ ceed on his way without interruption
! Scarcely a voice was lifted against any
| of the policies enunciated by Macdonald
! in Parliament. The opposition, instead
| of availing itself of the opportunity OF
| throwing Macdonald into the discard
protected him at almost every turn. Un-
| questionably the Labor premier accom-
plished much in co-ordinating the for
eign policy of England with that of the
continent and was a great determining
| factor in bringing the Dawes plan to
pass. He preached greater moderation
| in the French policy as to Germany, and
| through Premier Herriot got it. His
good works were hailed in England as
elsewhere, but when he attempted to