Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-06

save food.
Now. no one can tell yet how far the
education of four years has succeeded
in uprooting from the island mind its
traditional hatred and fear of protec-
ton. 1t may be ready for tariff wall
of dizzy height. On the other hand, it
may not.
In the latter event, the Tory party is
going to be caught sitting right on the
crown of the volcano when it erupts
next Summer. The Labor party Is only
cautiously on the slopes, looking up to
see what happens before venturing
farther. Only the Liberals are openly
opposed on principle to the tariff wall
and they have no chance of power as
single party.
Full of hope and schemes, then, is
Ramsay Macdonald. a great demagogue
and an astute and wary politician, born
in a two-roomed Scottish fisherman
cottage, risen by way of journalism,
politics and oYatory to the leadership of
the Labor party. The general strike
and the collapse of the great coal
strike and consequent discrediting of
the policy of eXtrernism has eased the
pressure on his left wing; he is freer
than he ever was before.
Position Of SnOwden.
The only fly in his ointment is Snow
den, chancellor of the eXchequer in
the first Labor government. No love
is lost between the two. SnoWden
throws cold water on the idea of ma
tionalizing the banks and all industry.
He Is, besides, doctrinaire free trader,
absolutely opposed to the protection
Macdonald is prepared to believe in If
protection looks like being the winning
card to play for Office and power. And
he is very friendly with Lloyd George,
whom Macdonald views with suspicion
and mistrust. having an idea that the
Welsh wizard Is intriguing to jockey
himself into the chief place in Lib
eral-Labor coalition at the expense of
Ramsay Macdonald
But Macdonald Is not likely to be
caught mapping. He is cultivating an
alternative financial expert Gin the So
of Sir Oswald Mosley, the superior,
clever, almost too we'll tailored Socialist
son of die-hard country squire, titled,
rich and married to the late Marquis
CurZon's lovely daughter (also very
rich. thanks mainly to participation in
the Letter Millions.
MoSley thinks he can be chancellor
of the eXchequer by the grace of the
Labor premier if SnoWden defaults, but
his aspirations may be Clipped down
somewhat The Labor rank and file are
not keen on their gilded comrade, but
Macdonald favors him, and recently
chose him and his wife as his COM
panionS for a European tour.
Future Courses Unknown.
Exactly what the Labor party will do
If and when it achieves power no one
knows, least of all the Labor leaders at
the moment. With a 50-page part7
program, covering the millennium and
full of calculated generalities and OBJ
securities, its leaders are frankly oppor-
tunist. Miss Ellen Wilkinson, a promi-
nent Laborist M. p, explains the curl
Gus program thus: 1T is a definite
eral statement of policy, and outlines
can be filled in as parliamentary cir
cumstances permit"
In other words, Labor government
can follow almost any line of policy ii
likes and find sentences in its program
to justify it every time.
Meantime what of Lloyd George
Tie death of Lord oxford and Asquith
has left him in undisputed control OF
the Liberals. There he is. suddy, Wig
orous, full OF pep, fight, promises and
optimism and with huge treasure In
his party Golfers accumulated during
his years of power.
He is playing his cards for a balance
of power which will enable him to
dominate the next Parliament or the
one after Further, he has an idea that
he can use his unique personal charm
and responsiveness TO capture the lead
ership of Labor-Liberal coalition for
himself over the PROSTATE body of a
Macdonald sidetracked by jealous col
leagues.
Economic Issues to Rule.
One thing is quite certain, however
and that is that no government which
fails to produce the economic goods is
likely to last out two years, so fast and
strong is the undercurrent toward any
political tendency which promises to
improve Britain's economic lot and SO
ease the burden of taxation, raise wages
and increase jobs and make them safer
This is why capitalists and big en-
ployers in England talk calmly of the
prospect of another Labor ministry. II
will be, they say, a test of socialism
versus capitalism and they are not
afraid of class loyalty binding the
working masses to the ultimate and in
evitable failure of socialistic nostrums
in the realm of business and produc-
ton in an island mainly dependent
upon a foreign trade which must be
held against world competition.
They know that the masses when all
is going well, prefer a jolly Lord Derby
with his millions, his ancestry and his
racehorses, to a Sidney Webb with his
modest demeanor and libraries of books
or Mosley with a double breasted
waistcoat, a large and safe income. and
wild oratory in favor Of changing the
very system which enables him to live
in the pleasantest luxury.
The masses admire Macdonald, be-
cause Macdonald can stir them; and
j. H. Thomas, because the railwaymen' s
leader is a "cute 'un" and talks horse
sense (besides, he has risen, drops his
his naturally and has enormously i'm
proved the railwaymans wages and
conditions). But if the Labor men In
power cannot keep the blast furnaces
going get orders for the great ship
markets in order to provide the where
withal to pay better miners wages than
the present miserable pittances and
keep the price of food low, not all their
eloquence and appeals to the sacred
character of their political creed will
save them from destruction at the
hands of the disillusioned voters.
Must Pass Through Crisis.
Labor, of course. may evolve. as the
Tories have evolved--a Fascist like Lord
Rothermere calls Baldwin Socialist
But Labor has crisis to pass through
first. Committed to socialistic nostrums,
it has to try them and see them
ANONYMOUSLY fail. After which it may
shed its socialistic skin-as after the
general strike the trade unions shed
their extremist top and their Com
munist under skin-and get down to
brass tacks.
The detached observer sees that
Labor wants to go too far and the