Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-20

his soul to see national patriotic gov
eminent gaining a new lease on life
and imperialism sure to renew itself
which ever side won. He deluded him
self with the idea that the international
Socialist movement If given chance,
could persuade the ranks to throw down
their arms and thus paralyze the war
machine everywhere.
The reaction in England to this I'M
popular idealisn, especially when it was
accompanied by the unwise expression,
MY German friends" Is too well known
| to be retailed again here.
When the year 1922 opened men
would have laughed at the idea that
Ramsay Macdonald could conceivably
return to lead the Labor party which
had repudiated him. Wasn't he down
and out as a political factor? He had
not retracted, and didn't that obviously
make him impossible in country which
still had vivid memories of the war?
The question was put TO a test in the
! Summer of that year in the anti-Labor
stronghold of Aberavon. Macdonald
encountered strong local magnate and
knocked him headlong by 1000 ma
jority. Once again the popular ideas
of what the people we're thinking and
feeling were found to be falsi1ed. The
timid Labor party picked up heart.
! ASSAA~N4
| like the king wolf Of the pack.
| Inside the week of his return he had
been elected leader of the parliament
airy party and his associates claimed
that the party would be the oficial OPP
position. Labor always had been a
minority group. Now it was feeling its
oats. With the prospect of office dang
ling before its nose Labor simply had
to have Ramsay, its ablest Parliament
tartan Of all, back to steer Its boat.
Bonar Law died, Baldwin succeeded
him and made a premature protection
list appeal to the people. The people
smelled food taxes and threw him out.
Macdonald formed the first Labor min
istry by the grace of Lloyd Georges
| Liberals who held the balance Of power.
It was unique In that the Labor leader
never had held any Office Of the crown
before and now was suddenly elevated
| to the premiership. Unluckily Ior nun
his party committed friendly gestures
toward Russia. The red international,
contemptuous Of the man 1t called the
British Kerensky, let him down. The
newspapers got hold of the famous RED
letter inciting the British fighting serV-
ices to nlutiny-a letter which Mac
| Donald had not protested against with
sufficient strength. The fat was IN the
fire then. The press presented the
news as the premier betraying his ma.
ton to Moscow. The Bolshevists, II
not on England's doorstep, at any rate
we're busy picking the lock on tne
driveway gates. Liberals, irlgnVen 1T,os
hastily Withdrew their support. Tne
Macdonald ministry fell with a crash.
Macdonald went to the country. IN
the ensuing election the force of ma
tionalistic appeal was once more
brought home to Macdonald. The
hostile people gave Baldwin q record
majority and assured the Tories OF
clean run of power for the full AVE.
year term.
Ministry MoOches Along.
The Tory ministry saw the general
strike through and Thereafter just
mooched along. Baldwin failed 70 90
ANYTHING constructive with his major
ity. Unemployment increased. The
slump deepened. The time came when
he had to go to the country. In the
election the people recorded their dis
satisfaction with Baldwin's safety first
uolicies by sending Macdonald back
the strongest Of the three parties but
still lacking an absolute majority
Lloyd George, heading the free trade
Liberals, swung his support to Mac
Donald and the Labor leader formed
his second ministry.
But, once in Office, MacDonalds
nledres 10 cure unemployment proved
to be eve wash. It couldn't be cured
by Socialist remedies. The army OF ur-
employed grew as the economic depres-
sion deepened. But the ministry was
safe for quite q white because While
an election meant q defeat Tor LABOR
II meant humiliation for the Liberals;
and the premier knew that the Liberals
feared humiliation worse than LABOR
feared defeat. So he held on hoping
for an upt1rn that would put the elec.
torate in q better humor and would
enable him 10 say, Look we have re-
duced Unemployment and improved
trade. II you return the Tories now
they will put you back IN the mess
from which we have had to pull you.
such was the stalemate situation
when the world financial structure be-
gan to crack at its orninously weakest
point and Britain suddenly found her
self involved and faced with run on
sterling Macdonald, warned by bank
ers Of the immensity OF the crisis and
the need for prompt action TO balance
| the budget and restore world conf
dence in Britain's financial position,
rushed back to town from Loss1e-
mouth. Things began to happen in
a hurry. The problem seemed clean
cut. He had to find $500, 600, 900, part
| Iv from economies and partly by new
taxation. AS soon as the government
could announce its program, and an
! aIl-party agreement Herewith, 1t would
| be able to negotiate further credits IN
New York and Paris-credits needed
/ to peg sterling which had been threat
ened by the melting away Of the $780,
| 100000 credit granted the Bank Of
England by these two centers.
| But q snag arose. The Cabinet
| agreed on economies that were salts
factory to the other two parties, but
was adamant against q dole cut, and
now London bankers advised that for
eign credits we're conditional on a re-
duction in the dole. That, said bank
ers, was the key to restoration Of world
In quandary.
Interesting Possibilities.
Suppose he had turned and fought?
The prospect opens interesting posi-
bilities. He might have tried mobiliz-
ing some Of Britain's foreign resources
and using them as security against
the loan. He might have offered $780,
100000 in British government bonds at
AZ per cent to America. He might
have turned to the bankers and said:
This is as much your fault as ours
II we have shaken confidence by our
dole policy you have shaken it equally
by borrowing money at 2 per cent In
Paris and New York and relending it
at 8 per cent to Germany. You bank
ers have been in fact financing the
trade and INDUSTRY Of Britain's rivals
You have more TO fear from the plight
of the pound than we. You have more
to fear from the country than we.
| Now stand By US or take the conse-
quences. He will balance the budget
and balance it by means satisfactory
to you, with the single exception Of the
dole cut. And after all what is this
dole cut you are insisting on7 1t
means q savings Of around $50 .000, 600
. (