The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-07-12
HEAD Of BRITISH
) LABOR A REAL
:, Ou aA%AAh
J DEMOCRAT
u Ramsay Macdonald Inn
presses Visitors with Frank
ness and Sincerity
BY international News Service.

by international News Service.
LONDON, July ia new order
0G British statesmen has been IN
Wtituted by the labor government.
j. Ramsay Macdonald, British
Premier, stands alone in the realm
OF British statesmen, for none of
his predecessors have ever ap.
preached his democracy, frankness
or candor.
Like most statesmen, Macdonald
Is interview shy, simply because of
several unfortunate and inoppor-
tune interviews attributed to him.
But Macdonald is not shy of news
paper men; in fact, he is one of the
few British statesmen who have
realized the value Of publicity.
Sitting behind his desk In the
foreign secretary's office, with pa.
pers and dispatch boxes piled on
all sides Of him, Macdonald occa-
sionally receives newspaper men.
He Is a worker who will NOT be in
terrupted, and II the newspaper
man enters when he Is engaged in
some interesting task he may
stand, or sit, unnnoticed for several
moments. The work finished Mac
Donald looks up, lifts his glasses
and smiles quizzically. There is
something about his air that is
friendly, but at the same time gives
warning that there is business at
hand, and the newspaper man must
hasten.
Macdonald is one Of tbs very few
politicians or statesmen in Europe
today who favorably impress Amer
lean newspaper men. He answers
questions with a readiness and
frankness that Is disarming. He
speaks his mind and places implicit
trust in the newspaper man that
his condolences will not be be-
trayed. He never hedges. He
gives his views frankly, and there
1s no lodging the issue. 1t is not
necessary to press him, for he rises
eagerly to questions.
When q question interests him
he leans we'll forward, peering into
the face Of his qtlestioner, rubbing
his hands and adopting an attitude
that Is almost evangelical; for he
is so sincere In his beliefs that he
appears to want to convince all
questioners Of their correctness.
Although the Premier has a
sense of humor and a wit that is
active, he doesn't resort to the old
dodge Of taking cover behind a
funny remark. He regards news
paper questioners as men bent on
serious business, and even though
he may be faced with an ill-stated
or an empty question he gives a
dignified answer and never resorts
to the old practice of making a
witty, biting reply in order to con-
fuse and embarrass his questioner
There is a great deal of idealism
about Macdonald . In some aspects
he reminds one Of the late Woodrow
Wilson.
Macdonald Is now engaged in the
delicate task OF attempting to strike
a balance between the old order and
the new. between material force and
moral force. He Is a believer in
moral force, but he Is not so IDEAL
istic that he imagines that he can
do by suasion that which has been
done by force fer centuries. He is
trying to bring his views into effect
by transition; while he reaches out
for the new order he leans on the
old, and he has not scrapped the
OAu lOECS, lAOuS~l 4I6 hopes, as MS
policy of moral force becomes
stronger and stronger, he can grad.
ually do away with the old weapons
Of force.
Idealists have risen before upon
the world horizon. Most of them
have stubbed their toes upon reali-
ties and disappeared in oblivion.
Here is a man who looks up to the
stars, but knows that he must keep
both feet solidly upon the earth. If
he can follow the even course
which he has charted he may be a
new Messiah, but the old forces are
actively arrayed against him, and
the traps and pitfalls prepared for
him are many.
1t is far too soon to attempt to
estimate this man, but no one who
has seen him in action, who has
talked to him, and who has studied
his record can resist the impulse to
cheer him on.