Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-03
BY HENRY w. BUM.

CThe following is brief summary OF
the most important news Of the world
for the week ending March p:
GREAT BRITAIN-The Conservatives
are very much worried about the elections
thre months ahead, and apparently
with sufficient reason. In the last gen.
eral elections of five years ago the Con-
servatives won 4l3 seats: the Laborites,
49, the Liberals, 40 and others, IL.
To show the change of atmosphere: Not
only does no one expect any such ma
jority for the Conservatives in ne COM
ing May, but a great many even OF the
Conservatives doubt they will have a
ma iority at all.
The Liberals are staging a revival:
they propose to contest at least 500 OF
the 6l5 seats: but the net effect prom
Uses to be more damaging to the Con-
servatives than directly beneficial to
themselves. There have been so bye
elections in the last five years, with net
result of loss Of IL seats by the Con-
servatives and gain Of 10 by Labor. The
results of the last four bye-elections
have been distressing to the ConServa-
tives In the North Midlothian constit-
uency the Conservatives majority OF
Plat in 1924 was changed into Labor
ma jority of 925. In Battersea the Con-
sentative majority Of salt In 1924 was
changed into Labor majority OF 576.
In Bishop Auckland the Labor majority
of 2.9l8 in 1924 was increased to La
Dor majority Of 1912: and at Wansbeck
the Labor majority of 2,284 in 1924 was
increased to 1926.
Now observe the popularity signifi-
cant and distressing feature. In the
elections og 1924 the Liberals did not
contest the North Midlothian and Bat
tarcao caatc pu contrasting than tho
other day they drew enough votes away
from the Conservative candidates to
cause their defeat 1t is feared that
this sort of thing will take place on the
grand scale in the coming May.
The Liberals are attcking the Con-
servatives chiefly on the issue of free
trade versus protection They claim that
the Conservative safeguarding of in
dustries' policy is being insidiously de-
veloped toward Simon-pure protection,
and they cry out uopn the alleged dishon-
est "camouflage." The Labortes many of
whom are not at all unfriendly TO
safeguarding" are making their chief
attack on the issues of unemployment
, and foreign policy. To be sure, the
Conservatives have arguments "calcu-
lated" to clear them Of blame for un-
employment which strongly appeal to
the head; but there it is, the awful
unemployment, and Labor appeals
to the heart and the sacred fount of
sympathetic tears" are apt to be more
effective. A good many dncluding this
writer think that the attacks on Con-
sentative foreign policy are disingenu-
Gus; but nothing could be easier than
to make the Conservatives appear sillv
in that connection. The Liberals are
also attacking the Conservatives on the
issues of unemployment and foreign
policy: but their main direction of at
tack is as stated above.
The Conservatives are playing ND the
| personal prestige OF Mr. Baldwin and
| the danger OF Radical, Socialist. even
Muscovite. developments, should Labor
! be installed in the power. That danger
is made TO seem all the more hideous bv
the method of suggestion and allusion
rather than precise definition. Not that
This method Is diSlngenuouS, for precise
| definition Is not possible The Laborites
! retort that this sort of thing is fog
ging dead monkey; that the bolsheyist
faint. such as 1t was land II was never
very importantly. has been purged out of
the Labor party, that the danger to
! the commonwealth from "novelizine"
tendencies OF Labor is not comparable
10 the danger from old Bourbonism.
! Nevertheless, that uncertainty regarding
Labor exists and is effectively PLAYED IN
by the Conservatives. As five years ago.
so today. they are appealing for Liberal
/ votes by pointing to the sky and hint
ing TO djinni
No doubt the elections will he decided
by the votes OF 5000 900 newly enfran-
rhised women 'between 81 and 30), and
10 them the several party machines are
feverShly addressing themselves.
After bidding tender farewell to