Evening star., 1929-06-04
RAMSAY MACDONALD STARTED
CAREER IN AFFECT POVERTY
First Job of Laborite Leader
Was Addressing
Envelopes.
Read in His Spare Time and
Took Correspondence
Courses.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
LONDON, June flames Ramsay
Macdonald, who presumably will be
asked by King George tomorrow to
head the next British government, has
had one of the most remarkable careers
in British politics.
Rising from abject poverty, such as
no other British prime minister has
ever known, he fought with his party
Labor, from practical obscurity quar-
ter century ago to head a British gov
ernment once and now, to be asked to
head it again.
Mr.. Macdonald was born october IL,
1865, In two-room thatched-roof
house in the little Scotch fishing village
of Lossiemouth. At the age of II he
had to quit school to earn his living -
the field, although his brightness -
mind had impressed his teacher and
| lessons we're kept up after work hours.
Read in Free Libraries.
As an adolescent his first job was
addressing envelopes, and his next that
| of a warehouse laborer at IL shillings a
week At lunchtime he read In free
libraries and at night delved into Dor
rowed books, later taking correspond
| ence courses and sometimes attenoHle
lectures in Birbeck College.
! His first plunge into politics was
| made In 1888, when he took job as
private secretary to Thomas Lough,
radical candidate for Parliament. For
| four years he stayed with Lough. mean
while turning his hand to journalism.
and finally Joined the new Independent
Labor party helping to conduct Its
mouthpiece. the Socialist.
Stranger Contributes.
He made his first race for Parliament
| in 1895 in Southampton, but received
only S97 votes. A stranger contributing
| to his fighting fund" signed an &C
companying letter M. E. Gladstone
II developed that M. E" stood for
Margaret Ethel. the daughter OF well
known scientist. She and Mr. Mac
Donald were married In November
1896. o.
made in 1900, after active opposition 10
the South African wars, but he was
beaten badly again and started another
| travel tour It took him ii years 70
get into Parliament. the constituency oi
Leicester finally electing him IN lSoo.
Tragedy in Family.
! In 1911 he was made leader OF the
twoScore men who made up tne par
liamentary Labor party inside the House
| of Commons. At the same time ne was
chairman of the Independent LABOR
party. the more advanced Socialist
working among the electorate outside OF
| Parliament.
tragedy failed to dishearten him
Within a few months death deprived
him of his son David, his mother ano
his wife. He was left with the care OF
five children, two boys and three girls.
| one of the boys, Malcolm. just last
Thursday was named TO ParHameht OH
the Labor ticket himself.
He bitterly opposed the World War
and resigned leadership OF the LABOR
party in the House to Arthur Henoer- :
son when the group decided TO supporI
it. After the Russian revolution ne
tried to 70 to Russia to discuss Win
delegates from other countries basis
of peace agreeable to workers, put Int
crew OF the steamer re1useo 10 man Lie
ship If he came aboard.
He had more money then and they
traveled-sometimes to Socialist con-
yentionS. but more often merely TO see
and study other lands and other peo-
ples. They visited India and Variou:
dominions, and, OF course, the contl,
nent. He has been said to be the mos'
widely Travelled man ever to become
British premier.
THE rising tide of resentment against
him caused his ousting from Parliament
by $4,000 votes in the election follow
ing the armistice. He tried to get oacE
into Parliament in a by-election. bu'
again was badly beaten. In 1922 th'
electors of Aberavon sent him TO Par
lament in the election which followed
the crash of the Lloyd George coalition
Elected Labor Leader.
In that election Labor sent 142 mem
bers to the Commons. and they became
|, the second party in the House-hls
maiestys Official opposition. He was
!, elected their leader and spokesman. A
year later the Conservative majority
was wiped out. and the King sent foi
Mr.. Macdonald and asked him to form
a government.
1t was a minority government ne
formed, depending for its life upon
Liberal support, with Mr.. Macdonald
holding, besides the premiership. the
portfolios OF foreign minister and tlrsl
lord Of the treasury. Peace was the flrSt
item on his program, and he quickly
secured recognition of the Soviet gov
; ernment.
Late in 1924 an alleged letter from
) Gregory Zinovieff. commissar for 1or-
, eign affairs in Russia, to British Com
munists sought formation of Communists
cells in British military forces. In the
popular tumult which followed Davlc
Lloyd George withdrew his support anc
the Macdonald government fell, tht
new elections which we're held, on Octo-
Der 90 resulting in a huge Conservative
ma ajority, based on more than 400 mem
bers in the House.
Mr.. Macdonald resigned as premier
on November "a, 1924, and Stanle!
Baldwin took his place, forming tht
Conservative government, which LASTED
| until now