Evening star., 1924-12-31

/ i .
horse and you have wagon you are
pretty likely to get together in the
long run, even If you don't like each
other very well.
England Opposes Alliance.
The Irritation hasn't led to marriage
as yet, nor even to an engagement.
Part of the reasons is that the ira
ditiOns of the British foreign c1ifco
are all against having n strong con
tinental alliance, and the British for
eign office can do d good deal TO pre-
vent the happy pair from becoming
united. England is Offering Germany
numerous tempting reasons for stay :
ing out of the combination and Is
ready to use her debt claims against
France as Il club if all else fails. Per
haps 1928 viii show more clearly just
how this affair is going to turn out.
There is also Russia to be reckoned
with. The Soviet government is nov
recognized by all the important CUun-
tries of Europe, most recently by
France. The United States is virtu-
ally the only first-class power TO nolC
out against such recognition.
SovietS Not SentimentaIists.
1t has been noticed. however, that
the Soviets are not sentimentalists.
They are, of course, looking toward
the main chance, and, although the
French just now are treating them
with much more politeness and con
slderatiou than the British. this does
| not mean that Russia will show graft
tude by siding with France rather
| than England
| What the Soviet union needs chief v
| is money with which to rehabilitats.
her industries and railroads. ana
money for Russia is hard thing TO
nnd In France, where millions OF peo-
pie are clutching worthless cZarist
bonds. The most likely places for
Russia TO find capital are London
| and New York, particularly New
York. And as all the advantages Of
trade with Russia viii not be on nus.
sia's side we may look forward 20 Il
race between America and England
for Russia's favor before long.
One might have thought that ill.,.
| overwhelming Conservative victory f.
England had disposed fofeyer of the
! treaty wiki the SpVieTS auu .a- 8..
posed loan This would. hUWeNrr. be-
taking a sentimental view II Ram
Sey Macdonald wanted to advancr
money TO Moscow, il was not because
of any sympathy for sovietisIn. but
because he hoped il would mean in.
creased prosperity for England. TIL
same motives will move Mr. Baidwii.
and the British Conservatives even
more strongly. The only diTereu~-
| is that when Mr. Baldwin does it. tl-
British business man VIII applaud
Engiand's 1874 Ups aud Downs
England began the car with ney.
Labor government and for the first
! time In British parliamentary history
the government rested on a minority
The year ends after q general cleo
tion in which the Conservatives come
! back with walloping clear majority
over both the other parties.
The situation is clearer. Of course
but II remains to be seen whether
1t will be TO the advantage of the
CONSERVATIVES Under the MacDonaI.
rule nothing could be done withoU
the support of the Liberals That
to say, no socialistic measure could
| be passed. and, in fact. nothing wa>
! done. or even attempted, that was op-
/ posed violently to Conservative prin
| ciples. At the same time, the Con
servatives avoided responsibility for
the necessary things that had TO bt
done.
As matters stanA now lot of dis
agreeable things will have 10 be
done. and the Conservatives will have
TO do them on their own responsible
way. There is trouble In Egypt. in
India, in the Far East. in Mesopo
tamia. in Persia. These very grave
problems viii have to be met ana
solved as br-t they may by the Con
| servaliNes, and nobody can envy them
the task. II looks as If events III
the coming years OF the British I'm
pire viii be all Crist TO the mill o.
the opposition parties
1t IS said that the Liberal PARTY Is
deao' but that remains to be proved
II polled huge vote in this last
election, just the same, although, be
cause of three-cornered contests. II
failed TO get proportionate numbey
OF seats.
France Back I" Pre-War Politics.
Politically, France has returned "a
her pre-war situation. Except for the
ooIhf uhlsts' who are post war
growth, but not numerous in Parlia
| ment, the parties are aligned mucb
as they were in 1913. There is a good
zeal of talk about socialism I'm th4
fFehch government, but the Socialists
are ohly third of the present Her
riot majority, and will probably nor
ngure at all when Herriot is replaced
! by BRAND Of Barthou.
Joseph Caiilaux, who has lust heen
granted amnesty Tor his convection bv
'he high court under ClomencealI
| probably will return To Parliament I'm
feW months, by Il byc-election. He "a
| perhaps Frances greatest financiat
| genius among politicians, and being fhs
| prophet of il Franco German agreement
| IL is not unlikely that he will be named
| Hnahce minister when the time comes
! 10 put that agreement into force
| 1t Is a tremendous stride from cor
| Vtction for traffic with the enemy :,
a ministerial post. But IL would aston
] ish nobody. And this is "a very good
| Illustration of the extent to which the
war is being forgotten today
Indeed perhaps the greatest event IL
1924, now that we come TO think of Ill.,
is the turning OF peoples minds away
| from the past and toward the future
Italy's FasciSm on Decline.
MussoIini continues to have the whip.
| hand III Italy. after reign of thre.
years, but his dictatorial powers arc
already less absolute, and he Is already
preaching d return to constitutionalism
The dictator's difficulty is that his
| followers have not as much common
sense as he has himself. He was gIac
to take advantage of their violent Fas.
cist sympathies in the early days OF
| his dictatorship, and even TO encourags
them in their brow w-beating of politica
opponents. But while the necessity for
such tactics is now past, the ardent
| Fascist are too fond of the sport OF
administering chastisement to their fell
! low -countrymen to abandon it, and IN,
result is that the Fascist name is get
! ting into bad repute.
1t began with the Matteotu affair. il
which a Socialist deputy was fount
murdered with the completely of sous
of Mussolini's closest henchmen. Mus
solini tried to clean house and get IIt
OF some of his more extreme partisans
but without great success. IL is oftet
difficult to keep the pupil from outstrip
ping the master.
The naUcS nla, 4.