Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-01
BY C. PATRICK THOMPSON.

TINE eleven hundred statesmen.
diplomats and experts who
foregathered at The Hague
Il in the first week of August
to see If they could finally
liquidate the war along the lines Of the
Young plan were rather disappointed
that the proceedings were not led off by
Premier Ramsay Macdonald. mo
doubt" observed one French newspaper
acidly, "he thinks golf at Lossiemouth
and chats with Gen. Dawes in London
are more important"
That French newspaper did not itself
know how right it was. True, Ramsay
Macdonald is a man who tires easily;
he had an eXhausting time in the gen.
eral election and sticky first month in
Office, and, Parliament having gone on
holiday for three months at the end of
July, he wants to recharge his batteries
for the big testing time Of the Autumn;
but in any case he did not propose
to make his first appearance on the
international stage in the role Of the
determined nationalist. intent upon up
holding Britain's end in The Hague
reparations battle.
He plans to appear in due course at
Geneva, at Washington and In London
when the stage is prepared and the
lines are ready-aS the world statesman
casting oil with large and generous ges-
lures upon the troubled waters.
Macdonald Free for Larger Task.
With the clenched Philip Snowden to
look after finance, the solid Arthur
Henderson to watch over details of for
eign policy, and bluff, resourceful Jun
Thomas to worry out the answer to the
riddle of unemployment, Ramsay Mac
Donald feels freer to devote himself to
the larger task of reaching an under
standing with the United States as
preliminary to naval Limitation con-
ference in London, which France, Italy
and Japan will also attend-a confer
ence which will not break down this
time amid mutual recriminations.
The photograph which shows him
shaking hands with genially smiling
Dawes in that dramatic June meeting
in the garden of his temporary Scottish
home has been broadcast over the
planet, and to tens Of millions 1t looks
like an augury of real peace at last ana
the beginning Of the end Of those arma-
ment rivalries which for 10 years have
kept the nations of the northern hemi-
sphere poor and fearful.
But, although he is more vigorous
and in better health than he has been
for years, Macdonald IS probably not
quite so confident as he looks. He has
come to realize the enormous difficulties
which impede the realization Of his
dreams of peace.
Macdonald Facing Domestic Worries.
And he has many domestic worries
Egypt; cotton stoppage involving $780,
600 men; trouble with a million coal
miners, who were promised a seven
hour day and are now told they cannot
have it unless they pay for 1t with
wage cuts, thing they are not pre-
pared to do; an unprecedented gold
drain that may force rise in the bank
rate, with resultant trade depression,
encouragement of enterprise, increase
in the cost of government borrowing
and the vitiating of the Thomas
schemes for diminishing unemploy-
ment; and. finally, a revolt of the left
wingers, who have combined under the
leadership Of a rebellious ex-minister
and propose to sit daily in judgment
on the actions of MacDonald's govern
ment when Parliament reassembles.
All sorts of complications entangle
Macdonald and retard his movement
toward his chief aim, which is to
achieve new agreements that will elm
mate war from the thought and action
of the world
Thanks to the Hoover initiative, the