Evening star., 1929-10-04
MACDONALD'SCALL
HELD ABOVE PACTS
Banishment of All Thought
of Competitive Armament
Anticipated.

Something more than the technica.
question of what the size of the two
most powerful navies of the world shall
be is the reason for Premier MacDon-
AIDS visit to the United States. Not
since President Wilson paid a visit to
Great Britain has there been a return
call from the political head Of the Brit
ish nation. And for the first time in
modern history British premier can
visit the United States without having
thrust at him the disturbing aspects Of
an Irish question.
1t is true that the fact that Premier
Macdonald does not represent aristoc-
racy. but the British common people,
has made his visit all the more welcome
and has made it possible for the Ameri-
can Government to exhibit an enthu-
siasm far beyond the formalities Of the
occasion.
Transcends Limit Of Pacts.
The dream of English-speaking
statesmen that some day Great Britain
and the United States would be closely
bound together by an alliance has not
come true and probably never will, but
in its place there is being forged an
understanding which transcends the
limits of treaties or written agreements
This is the true significance of the
Macdonald visit. 1t is to produce an
atmosphere which will make it possible
for both countries to Danish the thought
OF competitive armament and to enable
them to assume a leadership in world
affairs making for world peace.
Ever since the United States declined
to accept membership in the League of
Nations Great Britain has played the
role of mediator in Europe and at times
has missed the helping hand of Ameri-
can diplomacy. which in the period of
the war meant so much toward con-
solidating the position of the allies and
since the wRr has been SO important
in reconciling the German and French
position on the one hand ana the 1tal-
ian-French rivalries beside.
Pace Set for Successors.
If Premier Macdonald and President
Hoover can pave the way for better
atmosphere in which Ambassador Dawes
at London and Sir Esme Howard at
washington can work with absolute
frankneSs the whole world political situ-
alton may be vitally affected. The sight
of the two most powerful naval fleets in
the world combined theoretically to
maintain peace has always been visu-
allied by continental publicists as the
strongest possible bulwark in the peace
movement, but such a coalition has
never seemed possible from the Ameri-
can viewpoint and was in itself only an
extraordinary development of a war
emergency. Since the war the navies
have drifted apart and the technical
men in both countries have spent their
time discussing theoretical rivalry in
combat. It was Premier Macdonald
who insisted that the British navy
would never prepare for a theoretical
war against the United States.
Ramsay Macdonald may not be pre-
mier of England for long time-do-
mestic politics may unhorse him-but
he will have set pace by his visit here
which will make even his successors in
office see great benefit of dealing
openly and intimately with the WASH
ington Government on world affairs.
The Macdonald visit will go down in
history as a turning point in the rela-
tions between Great Britain and the
United States, for it comes at a time
when the relations between the two
peoples are SO free from hostility that
they are receptive to new ideas for world
progress and constructive steps that
will maintain peace.
(Copyrisht, 1929