Evening star., 1928-01-01
BY FRANK II. SIMONDS.
ONDON.-We. in America, with
presidential election begin
ming to cast its shadow across
all auanfa I,olificaI rniphf raer.

presidential election begin
ming to cast It's shadow across
IL all events political. might. per.
haps, find a certain measure OF
interest in seeing the British people
a little more vaguely approaching the
same test Of democracy, were 1t only
possible to find in the British situa-
ton anything to recall our own. But
exactly this IL lacking.
Some time during the first Tuesday
after the first Monday next November
we shall repair to the appropriate
place and mark our ballot either Re-
publican or Democratic. Despite a
certain showing of minor opportuni-
ties. this Is all the real choice left us.
In Britain no one knows when the
| election will come. 1t may not ar
rive until 1929. 1t may come within
three months. 1t will certainly come on
the first day that the party in power
sees the slightest promise OF change
for the better. because the party in
power can choose the time. But never
has any party in power seen so long
| and uninterrupted a run OF bad pros
poets. Thus the Baldwin government
may have to go on to a natural death.
when its constitutional period Is over.
Angry at One Another.
| Then. so far from having a simple
| American choice between two parties.
neither utterly obnoxious to its own
| followers, one might almost say with
out exaggeration that the British
electors. who will have to choose be-
tween three parties, Tory. Labor and
| Liberal, are approximately as angry
at one as at another. They want to
vote against all three.
1 No marty in n0wor ever more
unpopular than the present Tory
| government. To be sure. no party In
| power in Britain could he popular
| very long, now. The main business
| OF government is to impose and coll
| lect taxes. The chief recommenda-
tion of any government is its ability
| TO reduce taxes. But the present
| British government has had no luck
In tax reduction. While the whole
country is literally staggering under
| the burden OF taxation, only the death
| OF two or three citizens. magnificent
| in the upper brackets. as We would
| say. may serve to bring in death
duties enough to balance the budget
| this year.
There In too the other vital issue
Of prosperity. II the party in power.
| particularly that party which bases
its claim to power on capacity TO gov
| ern cannot provide prosperity. II H..
| at the outset, out OF luck. And the
| Tory party has not brought prosper
| ity. The coal trade is fiat. The tex
| tile trade II only a shade less fat
than the coal. The million OF unem.
ployed tends to increase.
When President Coolidge and Mr..
| Mellon and Mr.. Hoover put out re-
ports which set forth the length and
4 hyaa nf Am rffsan
| could almost hear the sigh that came
| from millions OF Rritons. IL Calvin
Coolidge. prospcctiveiy out OF a job
| on March 4, 1929. really wants a good
| opening. there is one waiting for him
| In London. lf we are. perhaps. q
| shade weary Of economy in America.
In Britain the appetite surpasses all
known supply.
But IL the British voting public Is
| fairly fed up with party govern
ment which cannot supply prosperity
| and reduce taxes IL does not take long
| to perceive that the same British
| public Is not rapturously enthusiastic
| about getting rid Of the Die-Hards to
| bring in the Socialists.
Labor Gain Predicted.
The next election is going TO see an
| enormous gain for Labor. But today
| Labor has only about $50 seats out
| OF n little more than SEQ. II would
/ require as seats TO supply even a
| precarious majority. And no one
| quite sees that. Labor is the only
| growing party in Britain. but there is
| Il general doubt as TO whether IL Is
| grown up enough vet 10 have a cab
| met all its own. II had one ot sorts
| four years ago but IL did not do very
well domesticaily and never had any
real power. since IL lacked a maiority,
| At the next election what IS most
| likely Is that both the Tories and
| Labor will get above zoo seats, the
/ Tories might get ga. Labor ssss. then
| the Liberals will come along with
about 100. No one viii have ma
| jorlty. That Is the situation i.ioyd
George Is playing for. His will he
the balance Of power. lie can 40
Tory or SO Labor as he chooses and
| probably carry enough Liberal votes
| to form a government,
| hut while he Is likely 10 have the
balance OF power neither Labor nor
the Tories want him at his price. In
fact. they DO not want him at any
| price, Even to-day Baldwin il vcpu-
lar and Macdonald respected. but IL.
| g." who has more political brains
| than either. is neither popular nor
| politically respected, No one can S>As,-
ceive Of any way to set rid Of him.
but no one can see the Liberal party
playing a real roie While he heads IL,
Nor can any one quite see either the
Labor or Tory parties making an alll'
| ance with him for the sole privilege
Of letting him dominate new e<Sali,
ticn government,
Yet all parties are split, l~aoor has
Its conservative and It's radical wings
It's members Who 50 with MaetNanald
and those who hrcathe the spirit Of
| the CtydeSide. The TerleS are Just as
divided. There are the Orchards,
| who we're horn Rcurhens, and there
arc what We should call prrgreSstveS,
The Liberal iarty il cut I'm half h<>~
tween those who follow lloya George
WALL g