Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-23
LABOR PARTY MAY PASS
WITH FALL OF MACDONALD
Tories Seem Likely to Regain Power.
Baldwin May Keep Control or
Work for Tariff.

the naval question, but it has been
| helpless to stem the tide of unemploy-
ment incident to world depression,
Eighteen months after it took office un-
employment has doubled, and on all
sides the prospect of early improve
ment within the empire is slight
Yet 1t would be idle to mistake the
fact that while majority in Britain
feel that Labor has failed dismally, there
| Is no real confidence that the Tories
will succeed. Because there doesn't
seem any other thing possible, Britain
is going to experiment with q tariff,
but what every practical man knows
Is that, whether in the end a tariff
might help or not, in the beginning It
will certainly increase unemployment
and depression, and, with the prospect
that unemployment will touch 100000
before the Winter is out, further in
creases next Autumn are far from pleas
ant to think of.
Must Feed Quarter of Population.
This Winter the British will have to
of the population of the islands, made
up of the unemployed and their de-
pendentS. The budget is already In
the red, and to all questions of trade
there Is added the problem of India,
which must make grave turn If the
round-table conference fails, as seems
now inevitable.
In this situation, the Tories are not
looking forward to office with unlimited
enthusiasm. In many ways they would
prefer to let Labor hang on until the
Winter strain is over. And in the end
this may happen. Nevertheless public
pressure upon the Tories to take Office
Is becoming well nigh irresistible. The
country Is getting thoroughly alarmed
over the domestic conditions which 1t
confronts and the expedients which the
Socialists are proposing. And, when the
Tories do come In, they will have a rea-
Sonably sure promise of five years of
power.
What is really interesting In the Brit
ish situation is that just as In the
United States the prohibition issue has
cut across party lines, so the tariff has
destroyed the solidarity of the Tories
and the Laborites and even invaded
Liberal ranks. Now circumstances are
forcing the Tories to face the issue
squarely and become the party of tariff,
more cautiously than have the Tories
and no leader has ever endeavored TO
follow more completely than Baldwin
during all the decisive phase Of the dis
cusSion.
Tariff Experiment Seen.
Whether q tariff on food will lead to
prosperity or to ruin remains an open
question In many minds. Industry and
finance are as divided as politics, but
the experiment is likely to be made
now and If 1t Is successful the Tories
will have laid the foundation for q long
period Of political power. If 1t fails the
consequences must be disastrous.
In one more direction the forthconn-
ing British election VIII resemble the re-
cent American experience. In the Brit
ish show there viii be neither FascistB
nor Communists. The influence OF Mos"
cow and Rome, the example of Milsso.
lini, Hitler and Stain will count for
nothing. The Nationalist drums win
not be beaten. There will be no Tory
promise of "heads rolling in the sand
Instead there will be just another
election calculated to turn out the party
in power. But Il is far from impos-
sible that the event may. prove Of his
toric Importance, since 1t may see on
the one hand the practical disappear
ance of the old Liberal party and on
the other the rise of transformed Tory
party upon q newly annexed issue. Less
likely, too, but far from impossible is
the disruption of the Labor party after
defeat, the moderate element joining
with the Liberals, the extreme fraction
getting control of the party machinery
and committing Labor to more radical
Ideas.
tCopyrisht. 193o)