Evening star., 1927-09-04
VISCOUNT CECIL RESIGNS
PUBLIC POST FOR IDEALS
British Di iplomat Stifled His Own Con.
victions at Geneva, 1t Is Reported, to
Promote Cabinet Plans.

the moor or PdrilamenL ana sat on
the front row of the opposition bench.
1t was about this time that Cecil
found the absorbing interest he has
politics. His analytical mind finally
found anchorage in the ideals which
cluster around the League of Nations.
Together with Col. House and Gen.
Jan Smuts, Cecil had assisted Wood
row Wilson in drafting the covenant
of the League. Both he and SHUTS
believed that in this newborn infant.
spurned by the victorious powers, lay
the future salvation of Europe, and
when Smuts left the conference he ap-
pointed Robert Cecil, son of the Mar
quis of Salisbury, and leader of the
bloody Boer War against his own
countrymen, as representative of
South Africa to the League of Ma
tions.
Shuts parting instructions to Cecil,
as South African representative, were,
do whatever you think best"
During those days Immediately after
the war, the League was the founding
child of Europe. Woodrow Wilson had
created it. Europe couldn't Kill 1t out
right, but every one hoped 1t would
starve to death. 1t was kept from
starving by a little group of interna-
Sweden. Fridtjof Nansen, Paul Hy-
mans of Belgium, DR.. Benes of Czecho-
slovakia and Robert Cecil.
Under their tutelage the founding
of Europe f1ourished and grew strong
er until Europe began to be proud OF
it and claim a share in its nourish-
ment. Even the Conservative govern
ment of Great Britain woke up to the
Importance of having an able repre-
sentative at Geneva, and made over
lures to Lord Robert. Although
member of the same party, Cecil had
no sympathy with the die-hard Con-
servatives who had put Stanley Bald
win in power. But he had many things
in common with Baldwin himself, and
consented to become lord privy seal
| with the understanding that he would
be free of administrative duties in
| order to devote all his time to the
| League.
BY 1924 Cecirs activities in behalf
| of the League had won him universal
| recognition. and he was awarded the
| Woodrow Wilson peace prize. While
| he was in the United States on lec-
| ture tour, incidentally receiving the
prize, the Baldwin government gave
way to the Labor government of Ram
sey Macdonald. Asked by New York
newspaper man If he would accept q
portfolio in the new Labor g1sern-
ment, Cecil replied, "Alas, I'm afraid
I'm too radical even for them
It was only a few months afzerward
| that Cecil was drafted by the Baldwin
government, just returned to power,
to become the camouflage for its con.
servatism at the League of Nations
opium conference. The United States,
it was known in advance, would make
a rigorous stand for the abolition Of
opium production in India. Viscount
Cecil, just returning from the United
States, had tremendous following
there, and the Baldwin government
knew that no stronger man could be
found to head the British delegation
and present it's case at Geneva.
The opium conference, according to
his League friends, was an important
milestone in the life Of Robert Cecil.
AS the representative Of South Africa
he had acted only upon Gen. Smuts'
instructions, "Do whatever you think
best" He had been fearless, idealistic.
championing any cause he deemed
just. AS the representative Of the Con.
servative government at the opium
conference, he acted upon instructions
from Downing street. No longer the
unfettered fearless fighter, Cecil was
| forced to compromise his ideals.
| Afterward he admitted to friends
! that he would never have participated
in the opium conference if he had
known in advance what was expect.
ed of him. Once, even in public, he
admitted that some of the informa.
street had misled him.
| Chained by Instructions.
| Cecil never quite recovered the es-
TEEN and reverence of his League
| friends. Also he never quite recov.
cred from the effects of a nervous
breakdown which prostrated him not
| long after the opium conference. In
! the sessions of the Disarmament
Commission he strove passionately to
reconcile the conflicting jealousies OF
Europe and at times showed flashes Of
| his old fire. But here again he was
chained down by instructions from
| Downing street, and the fearless, un-
compromising idealist was gone.
1t was about this time that the
Gentleman With a Duster" gave this
diagnosis of Cecil's compromise be-
| tween his cabinet and his League:
He is convinced that no moral ap-
peal has ever been made to the Brit
ish people in vain. And yet he has
never made that appeal.
HE must learn that a man cannot
give great idea to the world with
out giving himself with it. The cause
must consume the person. He must
contract so entire a faith in the sa.
cred character of his mission that all
the inhibiting diffldences Of his mod.
est nature will henceforth seem to
him the whispering of temptation. He
has not preached the League Of Ma
tions as way of salvation; he has
only recommended it as a legal tri-
bunal."
Now Viscount Cecil Of Chelwood
) has written his own proclamation of
emancipation: I'm the future, 1 con-
slider that 1 shall be able to do better
work outside the cabinet than in it,
apparently deciding that it is time to