Evening star., 1939-03-06
Chamberlain Power
Reaches NewPeak
In Rearming Spur
Premier Found to Have
Abandoned Mood Thut
Led to Munich
By PERTINAX.

BY PERTINAX.
PARIS, March (N.ANA).-
Having just spent whole week in
London and exchanged views with
many diplomats, public men and
political observers of every kind,
I have reached several conclusions
about the trend Of British policy In
the near future.
The capital fact to be recorded
is the practical omnipotence now
enjoyed by Prime Minister Cham
berlain. He never had in the past
such prestige and authority.
The increase of his personal
power is to be accounted for by the
tremendous impulse now given to
British rearmament. Until re-
Gently, many doubted that the pre-
mier would rebuild the British mill
tary power with the requisite energy.
Now, following the publication of
the studpendous sums to be spent
during the next fiscal year, with
f580000,00O to be expended in 1940-
Al, all minds seem to have been set
at rest.
Chamberlain's Mood Changes.
Furthermore, the recent state
ments by Mr.. Chamberlain and For
eign Secretary Halifax about soli-
darity with France in case of an
italian attack in the Mediterranean
and Northern Africa and the serious
warnings continuously addressed to
Count Ciano, the Italian foreign
minister, have spread everywhere
the impression that nothing re-
mains of the so-called diplomatic
experiment begun last year, when
Anthony Eden was dismissed from
the post of foreign secretary, and
that Mr.. Chamberlain is no longer
in the frame of mind which was
productive of the disastrous Munich
settlement.
But other factors must be men
toned to explain the more favorable
attitude toward the cabinet of those
conservative members of Parliament
who lost autumn seemed to be on
the verge of revolt. Mr.. Eden has
sadly disappointed his followers. 1t
was expected from him that he
would come forward for a vigorous
policy, define it from day to day,
assert himself on every occasion as
an alternative head of the govern
ment, and mercilessly assault the
present regime. But he has not
dared to take such a strong line
Under the advice of former Prime
Minister Earl Baldwin, he has re-
coiled from stalking his political
future upon that course of action
When Mr.. Chamberlain Travelled to
Berchtesgaden last September, he
refused to comply with a pressing
request from his friends to send a
comminatory telegram to the angel
of peace Every one" he said,
would suspect I am trying to work
revenge for the treatment inflicted
on me-"
In brief, Mr. Eden has made the
calculation that he would more
safely succeed to the premiership
through sparing Mr.. Chamberlain
than through fighting him, and he
has acted accordingly. In quarters
which were once in sympathy with
him, the remark is now constantly
heard that in the former Secretary
of State for Foreign Affairs the stuff
Of leader is not to be found.
One of these days, it will be an
nounced that he has re-entered the
cabinet, but all the odds are that
eventually Sir Samuel Hoare and
not he will accede to the supreme
post.
Opposition Stultifies Self.
AS to labor and liberal opposition,
1t is enough to say that it is stulti-
flying itself in the eyes of the whole
country through expressing hostility
to every form of compulsion, either
military or industrial Thus, for
months and years. the laborites and
liberals have urged the cabinet more
and more energetically to resist the
totalitarian relationships, and today,
as Mr.. Chamberlain moves in the
sense of their recommendation and
seemingly complies with their eX-
hortation, they would deny him the
means to provide the country with
the land army of the continental
model that it still lacks, and would
accept in cold blood the dangerous
prospect of the French Army having
to sustain an unequal struggle
against the German and Italian
armies. with the proportion of the
electives bidding fair to be one
to two, if not more
Now the question arises, to what
use will Mr. Chamberlain put the
practically unlimited power that be-
longs to him? At last British re-
armament is progressing speedily.
But that achievement may we'll turn
the scales against peace in the forth
coming months. since the dictators
may become convinced that they
must take their chance before it is
too late. Now or never.
There are some faint signs that
the Prime Minister will have to deal
soon with the issue of CONSUMPTION,
or, to put it in terms less likely to
ruftle British popular feeling, with
the problem of creating an army OF
continental pattern. From time to
time, the Paris government cannot
but gently and in low voice re-
mind Mr.. Chamberlain and his COL
leagues that between France and
Britain the distribution of military
tasks cannot remain as it is and
that both countries are vitally in
terested in better apportionment.
1t is still matter of guesswork
whether Mr.. Chamberlain will con-
slider that the innovation can be
made with or without a general
election.
(Copyrisht 1889, by the North American
Newspaper Alliance, Inc)