Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-13
BY ARTHUR S. DRAPER.

Arthur Henderson, M p member
of the British War Council of Five
i and representative of the Labor
party, gave me an interview In
which he said.
Labor will be satisfied by such 9
peace as ends the existence of great
unmoralized military power; when, and
only when, that can be secured by nego-
tiation, not only labor but every man in
every country among the allies will well
come peace by negotiation. Such an
end can only be secured. however, in
one of two ways Either German mill
tary power must be effectively controlled
by a government which has an ade-
Quate regard to moral constraintS. or
that power must be so weakened as 10
cease to be dangerous"
Along about the same time I pre-
pared a cable dispatch of approximately
700 words in which an effort was made
to set down Ramsay Macdonalds views
on certain aspects of the war. The dis
patch was never published A British
censor, one of those exceedingly cour-
teous fellows intrusted with the job Of
editing Rudyard Kipling, John MaSe-
field and, for a brief time, George Ber-
nsrd Shaw. decided it should not go to
America. He was a realist. He was
thorough. He did not delete words,
sentences or paragraphs; his blue pencil
Mr.. Macdonald was annoyed; the CORE
spondent was disappointed; the censor
stood the drinks at later date and did
1t with fine good grace.
Views Unpopular Then.
To put it mildly, Mr.. Macdonald's
views were highly unpopular in govern
ment circles in those days. He was
abused, libeled. described as a defeatist,
ST -t.1 Id.
peared in penny weekly. Liberal dali
les joined Conservative newspapers in
bitter attacks on him and on Philip
Srlowden, who lived near him in
Northwest London. Public opinion was
infiamed to the point where youngsters
chalked insulting comments on the un-
foreground stations which these two M.
P.s used in going from their homes to
Westminster.
The political wheel turns slowly in
Great Britain. but it frequently goes
completely around. David Lloyd George
dropped Mr.. Henderson unceremoniously
from his cabinet; MessrS Macdonald
and Snowden were, decisively defeated
in a parliamentary election. Now Mr..
Macdonald is prime minister for the
second time in space of five years
and his two bowers are Arthur Hen
derson as foreign secretary and Philip
Enowden as chancellor of the exchequer.
The first time interview Mr.. Mac
donald he lived in one of those delight
full little houses in Northwest London
which persons of modest means can run
without too heavy a financial drain. His
present secretary opened the door and
showed me into his study, the walls of
which were lined with books. There
were half a dozen pipes on his fiat
topped desk. Copies Of Hansard tthe
British Congressional Record were
piled up in corner.
Tweed Coat Typical Of Premier.
1t was not exactly the sort of room
or desk one expects to find occupied by
a highly efficient executive, but Mr..
Macdonald looked comfortable and
thoroughly at home when he came in
wearing an old tweed coat and baggy
trousers. Perhaps it was the same coat
he wore on the golf course at the
LoSsienlouth Club, which later drop
ped him from its membership because
of the unpopularity Of his political
views. Later met him at tea, where
the host and most of his guests were
pacifists, and he was wearing the same
with him in his private room in the
House of Commons, but this time he
was wearing morning suit. The
tweed coat is more typical of the man.
What Mr.. Macdonald had to say the
first time I interviewed him is Of little
importance today, but he would not
wish to withdraw one word in the light
of subsequent events. ScotSmen of the
Macdonald type do not give interviews
with the idea Of regulating them later.
They are Sparing in their words, care
full in their selection and courageous
under criticism. American correspond
epts have always found him helpful.
For many years large part OF his in
come came from journalism, and ma
turally he knows news values.
Put a cup of tea in a Britons hand
and you know he Is relaxed, that he
will become more confidential, that he
will say lot of things he will not utter
when he is being interviewed. There
is some strange feeling that at teatime
there is an intimacy, frankness which
does not exist when the work of the
day is being handled. One does not
usually quote teatime remarks, any
more than one diScloses condolences,
but 1t is a rare interval in which to gain
an insight into peoples real thoughts,
to view them, as it were, off-stage. Mr..
Macdonald is at his best at teatime,
the cares Of the moment thrust aside.
Has Travelled Extensively.
A man of wide reading. a man who
has travelled extensively in all parts of
the British Empire, as well as being a
visitor to this country on several coca
sions, an expert parliamentarian, a
delegate to innumerable labor confer
ences. a deep student of politics, all
his life Mr.. Macdonald has been IN a
minority. fighting, struggling. His life
experiences should nave made him a
dour Scotsman hard, fierce fighter,
who asks and gives no quarter. On the
contrary, he enjoys a good story and
can tell many a one himself: he finds
relaxation on the golf course, taking
the breaks as they come; he has re-
tanned his youth by maintaining Won
derful companionship with his children.
When last June Mr.. Macdonald be-
came British premier for the second
time he faced a more difficult fight
than he had had as leader of the oppo-
sition to Stanley Baldwin's Conserva-
tive government, which had been ir
power since 1924. AS the outstanding
figure in his party his chief fight wa;
obviously against the government Of the
day, although the moment he took th'
helm he had not only to face Conserva.
tives and Liberals but an element in hi
own party which does not see eye to eye
with him on several important ques'
tons of policy.
Labor learned much during its shor
term of responsibility in 1924. SO IA
as that goes, so did the British people
Another lesson was learned in the grea
general strike Of 1926. The fear Of thu
Tat@1r dtsg;natHd AM