Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-23
Philip Snowden's Personality
Attracts American Attention

Philip Snowden's vigorous attitude at
The Hague conference on German rep
arations has brought into public view a
personality which takes a unique place
in the diplomatic world. Americans see
in this British chancellor of the cX-
chequer European type of the tradi-
tional "shirtsleeves" model of their own
past. His bruSqueness. while freely crit
icized, is recognized as an element in
his popularity at home, and he is made
a symbol OF the extreme nationalistic
attitude.
This dour. nervous, half-invalid
BritiSher has shown a tenacity and q
determination which the hardest-boiled
of the Tory die-hards could not hope
to rival" declares the Baltimore Eve
ming Sun. The Memphis Commercial
Appeal believes that his forceful di-
rectnesS can win only admiration
though the Champaign State News
Gazette calls him "crisis-maker"
"One seems to see" observes the
Boston Transcript. ''the Goddess of
Peace, marching with new-found and
pleased serenity over the fields OF Eu-
rope and suddenly stubbing her toe over
a sharp rock, falling face forward to
the ground with violence and then
partly rising. in shocked establishment.
and trying 70 realize what has happened
to her. The sharp rock over which she
has stumbled is the craggy personality
of Philip Snowden, long known as the
most opinonated. though possibly the
ablest, member of the Labor party OF
Britain; chancellor of the eXchequer in
the former as we'll as the present Labor
ministry Socialist by record and con-
viction, and man who has, like Mr..
Kipling's cat, done good deal OF walk
ing by himself"
"Mr. Snowden is respected for his in
telligence and his integrity" according
to the Newark Evening News, which Of
fers the further appraisal: His record
is not that of a small, cheap politician.
He has shown courage as great as his
.frail body is weak In maintaining his
convictions" OF what the Charleston
Daily Mail refers to as Ibis insistent
and rather brusque demand for revision
of the Young plan" the Buffalo Evening
News remarks: His sensational stand at
The Hague reparatioiii conference GER
tainly was good politics. It put the en-
tire British public behind the Labor
ministry with q degree Of unanimlty
that even the coalition government OF
war times might have envied."
Among cool heads on both sides OF
the English Channel as we'll as in the
United States" says the Atlanta Jour-
nal, however, 'it seems agreed that Mr..
Philip Snowden, the British govern
ment's spokesman at the conference,
forgot his manners when he referred to
a speech by M. Cheron of the French
delegation. Unfortunate words. when
the harmony of nations and the pros
perity of Europe are in the balance. Mr..
Snowden himself repented of his haste
and publicly apolcgized, avowing that
although he has an acid tongue he has
a big heart THAT was not putting 1t
very delicately but perhaps 1t was the
best he could do) M. Cheron, accept
ing the amende honorable, neatly re-
marked, MIR. Snowden is English and
am Norman, and the English and Nor
mans have visited each other so often
that he and could only be friends If
the clustering Briton has an eye for his
tory further back than the annals of the
Labor party he must have felt the barb
of that shaft, for all its lightness."
,"He apologized for some of his indis-
cretions of speech" recalls the Cleveland
Plain Dealer, while the Worcester Eve
ming Gazette offers the. explanation:
1.-THE winged words of the chancellor
which stirred up all the trouble we're
these: Your Interpretation of the Bal
four note Is groteSque and ridiculous
Not kind words, surely; yet words which
are not considered supplementary
where English is spoken. Indeed, they
are rather mild when compared with
some of the utteranccs which are de-
Myered In Abe British Parliament and
tbs -AmRrican Congress. But to the more