Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-01-09
BRITISH LABQRITES
LOOK FOR ROUGH
WAY IN LEADERSHIP

London. Jan. 8. (By A. P.)-The
fifth parliament of the present reign
opened today in a quiet and unevent-
full manner. apart from some natural
effervescense on the part OF the labor
members. elated at the prospects Of
their party taking Office as the gov
eminent.
The reelection OF John Henry
Whitley as speaker Of the new house
was foregone conclusion and there
fore afforded no excitment. Interest.
for the present. lies rather outside
the parliament than within 1t, name
ly. in the meetings. conferences and
consultations among the leaders and
the parties. and doubtless in the I'M
foreground intrigues inseparable from
a situation OF such extreme novelty
in British politics as having to- deal
for the first time with a new group
system Of parties. instead Of tradi-
tional two party system.
Even now. although it seems GER
S<<Ai tAidI elLOtAcE w ia see
a labor government In office. some
other development is not entirely ex-
cluded, and Ramsay Macdonald, the
labor leader, in his speech tonight
was careful not to count his chickens
in advance. and doubtless 1t was for
this reason that he declined to be
drawn into program speech.
The labor party IS well aware Of
the strong influences still working to
prevent its accession 20 Office, to say
nothing of the efforts which will be
made to defeat 1t when in office. John
Robert Clines referred to this dan
ger in his speech in Albert Hall to-
night, when he said that the real
question was not what the labor gov
eminent would do. but what it would
be permitted to do.
Apart from danger from outside it's
ranks, labor will also be threatened
by a danger from within-from the
irreconcilable group hailing from the
Clyde district which will try to COM
NIT the party to all the extreme
views of the Leftiest section of labor,
which, certainly cannot be carried by
a government supported only by a
minority vote in the commons.
The recent attempt to promote an
agreement between the liberals and
Conservatives to prevent labor from
taking office was scotched, but not
altogether killed. Underground ma
neuvers for the same purpose are
continuing, and all sorts of rumors
are current concerning various politi-
clans and party sections said to be
engaged with this idea, none Of which,
however. can be verified, and the
prospect still is that labor will ac-
cede to power and that its severest
trial will como later.
Mr. Asquith's dictum that he will
not lift q finger to save the present
government from it's fate would not
necessarily bind him or his party
once the labor administration was
actually in Office and the attitude
Mr.. Asquith has adopted on such q
debated constitutional question as
the right of the prime minister to
demand the dissolution of parliament
shows that he has in view the strong
possibility that the first labor gov
eminent would quickly meet defeat
and that it would sbe the province of
the king to decline to grant the re-
quest of the labor premier for a dis
solution, but that he would. instead,
summon the leader of the next lar
geSt party, namely, the liberal party,
for the purpose of forming a govern
ment.
NIr. Macronalds speech tonight
was generally interpreted as indicat-
ing a strong sense of responsibility
and as having q conservative ten
dcncy so far as the extreme articles
of the labor platform are concerned.
with an inclination to rely largely on
a policy Of appeasemcnt in foreign
affairs combined with sOcialr eforms
with respect to unemployment and
housing to which the LIBERAL party
could take no exception.
Mr. Macdonald frankly admitted
his intention to go one step at time,
and if. when in power. his party ad-
heres to this line. 1t may have a
longer life than many expect. At the
Same time. the idea of creating a
new "ccnter party" which is the
favorite theory of Lord Birkenhead
and other influential politicians has
not been dropped. and is likely to
gather adherents in the stress of the
coming session of parliament In
that case a new danger might threat
en- the labor government because the
cardinal aim of such n party would
be to oppose 4 labor government on
the ground of its alleged socialistic
Tendencies