The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-06-30
British Elections,
BY LOUIS F. KEEMB1.p
United Press War 49, h

now ael aos Hilriply. 1t is whether III.
what is loosely called in 'V "',3
politics the left or right ~ world
Neither OF the two principa, ~.
ties has claimed convincinpIv par u
there will be any great diffess'na mat
IN Erltaln's conduct of foreig 1l', 81
fairs or attitude toward the g. IA al
war peace organization po,h pOS''
for unqualified friendship WIKI arc
United States and Russia NIL M; mo
promises to be any less ,i ,et.ller
IN restoring Britain's posit 5U.0a
world trade, shipping and 0 IN IN
mercial aviation. N 'om'
On domestic issue, the oo,
vative party headed by Primo e' ,st
lister Winston Churcnill AND 'a n
labor party, led by Clement p A.. s
lee, promise the same th:nos n,'
by different methods Thew 49, O,.iy
such fundamental measure as a,s .G 5of
quate housing, food, emplovmen.
and health and social ins,jr.rn.a..'
What American observers
watching with the liveliest intera.,
is whether Churchill, whose e icy
cies they know, will be ret,Irro sO.''
power. Otherwise it will be the the 10, 70
Dor party, with a broad ,oo;a,
program and definite ideas 'Nl oa
state control. The issue has bo 0n
put, broadly, as the difference bo'
tween private enterprise ana
state management.
The lack of clear distinction l.,
tween the two party program, W. :.
foreign affairs makes the eloct;.
resemble, in a way, the Roosey. yD
Dewey campaign in the Unitsd
States last year.
Churchill, like President Boo,s
welt, has the advantage of viSs,
ly respected personality and q,
war achievement. Having led Br,t'
ain through the defeat of GERMAN
he wants to continue until Japan i
beaten and postwar problems ara
on the way to solution.
Despite Churchill's prestige. dis.
patches from Britain agree that
it is likely to be close race II
must be remembered that il is tha
first election in 10 years, and that
hundreds of thousands of volnp
men and women will be voting for
the first time. Their reaction
cannot be gagged accurately
Churchill recently appealed 10 The
electorate for a substantial work.
ing majority in the House of Com.
mons, limiting that he would be I'm.
able to function in the best inter.
ests of the country if independent
or unaffiliated members hold a bal.
ance Of power between the two big
parties. He also mentioned his dis.
Ike of going to the Big Three
m t i n g without knowing his
strength at home. (Although the
election will be held on July s. re.
suits will not be announced until
July 26, when overseas returns
have been counted)
It has been rather a hectic cam.
paign, for Britain. In the absence
of any juicy issues, some phoney
ones have been raised. The conser
vatives have tried to scare the
country by picturing a labor vctO
ry as meaning a socialistic triumph
which would amount to revolution
and establishment of a gestapo in
the tight little isle. Most Britons
were amused.
Churchill himself denounced
Prof. Harold Laski, the labor par.
tvs famous left wing political
scientist, as a sinister back room
power who would guide foreign pol
icy by dictatorial methods. Labor
retorted by pictUring Lord Beaver
brook, the vociferous newspaper
publisher, as Laski's counterpart
behind Churchill and the Tories.
All in all, in campaign methods
and results after the votes have
been counted, the British general
election is much like one Of OURS
Some comparisons and differences
are:
The new House of Commons will
have $40 seats, as against 43o in
the U. S. House of Representatives
The House of Lords, unlike the
Senate, is not elective and has little
real power, teing mainly consul
tative or advisory.
The leader OF the elected parry
becomes Prime Minister, an ollce
which corresponds in actual pIdc'
tice to the presidency. The pIln,e
Minister'S salary is about S5V,uV0
year; that of the President o.
900. Members OF the British cs0I
net get about $4,000 a year. anu
of the American, $4,000.
An American Representative ssa
$4,000 a year but a British NJ =
only So, 400. A striking difference :"
that the leader of the opposi.iivII
party in commons gets ar olll oas.
salary of $4,000 a year--a rev. s
milton of the important par' p'''
ed by the opposition.
! In campaign expenditures o,A
candidate for Commons may Sp' u.s."
sixpence (ten cents for eaeA a asi
istered voter IL a country eoa an,s
tuency or tive pence (elgn' V' NV.
in a town constituency. For d. il = bo
erage constituency, that "o .s,rsJ
a maximum OF $1,000. Inc I'T T-nir.
Corrupt Practices Act IN me NM NM m
1 IL