Evening star., 1924-06-15
BY FRANK H. SIMONDS.

say in America, congressional
government breaking down?
The question has both domestic
and foreign appositeness. In the
United States the Congress which
has just adjourned is noteworthy be-
yond much else as the first in which
majority rule gave way to something
of the continental bloc system. In
Europe three democracies are in a
state of turmoil in consequence of
parliamentary incoherence. Moreover
fourth, Italy, has embraced a die
tatorship to escape the confusion
which prevails in the United States,
Great Britain. France and Germany.
With the American phase of the
worldwide phenomenon or disease,
as one may choose to view it, my
readers are familiar. In both houses
of Congress a nominal Republican
majority has been abolished and the
policies and purposes of Repub-
lican Chief Executive brought to
nothing by the action of group of
senators and representatives, elected
as Republicans, who have broken
away from party moorings and voted
with the Democratic minority, thus
creating new majority.
This well nigh complete paralysis
OF responsible party government as
we are familiar with 7 in this coun-
try has created natisn-wide com
ment, protest and criticism. 1t has
changed the whole chartcter of leg
islative operations. Whit many OBJ
servers are now eageIfy and even
anxiously watching to see is whether
1t is to become a fixed feature of our
political life. And it is this Amer
lean situation which gives real in
the moment.
Situation in England.
Looking to these European paral-
lels, that of Great Britain is, in a
sense, the most interesting. because
in the British field there are but
three parties, by contrast with the
many parties in France and Ger
many. Moreover, it is toward
three-party situation that we in
America seem at the moment to be
drifting.
The present House of Commons has
615 members; of this number 1s1 be-
long to Labor, 15s to the Liberals,
15s to the Conservatives, and there
are nominaIly at least independ-
ent. A majority then would be
sos. or ~ more than the Tories con-
troll Actually the present govern
ment represents a coalition of Lib
erals and Laborites, together con-
trolling $50 vote. But the Labor |
and Liberal parties are mortal |
enemiel and their coalition is of the |
fimsiesr sort. Thus sometimes it is |
the Tories and not the Liberals who |
save the Labor ministry from de-
<-at and resignat ation.
The reason Labor, although mi
nority and hated by both opposition
parties, actually retains Office is that
the opposition is afraid that if a new
election should take place Labor
would make great gains and might
get clear majority of its own. To
keep it in power until it makes some
major b1under and thus insure it's
own defeat at new general election
is the strategy of both the Tories
and the Liberals, although in recent
days the Tories seem to be ready to
take the risk of an election and to be
~ Lot IL -'AdNDoiloAd Odl'
Labor Not Responsible.
In the existing situation, however,
there is obviously no such thing as
responsible party government. Labor
is not responsible, because it has not
the votes to carry any legislation of
its own. 1t can do little to realize
it's own ambitious program. What
60 lat ii;
it is a minority government and can
be turned out at any moment there
is no such thing as real security.
Britain is always on the ragged edge
of a new election and of a possible,
if not a probable change of govern
ment. All of this makes for uncer-
tainty and confusion.
Nevertheless it is the settled opin-
ion in Britain that the three-party
system is likely to endure for a con-
siderable length Of time and certainly
through the next general election.
Thus il the Labor party were beaten
today IN the House of Commons
there is nothing to suggest that it
would not elect at least as many
members as it now controls, or that
there would be any clear majority
for any party.
You have then the extraordinary
situation: Both at home and abroad
British people and statesmen con-
front grave crises. Their foreign re-
lations have an enormous importance
at the moment when the Dawes plan |
is to be discussed both with France
and with Germany and the whole |
odi rycfrp ant
examined in international confer
ences. Yet the representatives of
Great Britain speak only for a mi
nority party and may be turned out
of office at any moment
C0nfusion In France.
In France the confusion is even
greater because constitutional
crisis has been added to the legis-
lative. Actually in the French
chamber of Deputies which has just
been elected there are nearly a dozen
parties. Yet these parties have been
pretty generally combined into three |
sroups; the Bloc National which sup
ported Poincare, and with the 10
Royalists numbers 265. This is the
opposition. Against it stands the |
Bloc of thu left, which has just de- |
fcated II. This Bloc of the Left, con- |
aims about 290 members; namely. |
~ Radicals, 100 Socialists and AZ
Radical Republicans. But since the |
new Srench Chamber contains 5s4
IN emAers, the victorious Radical Bloc
rloes not itself have clear majority.
l.. opposing Poincare, however, 1t
~ count upon % Communists, who,