MACDONALD—AUTOCRAT.

Shannon News, 14 October 1924, Page 4

MACDONALD—AUTOCRAT.

SEEKING SU.EREME ADVERTISE-} MENT FORSOOIAMSMB.

"I have a steady-confidence in my? ojvn-sbad*qualities," I 'said ; the wittyy, iSydney.- Smiths Some'six< orjßeven months ago Socialist Ministers .started ■'&»•■ ■ ideologists. Now they, have a steady- confidence in their; own* deficiences (writer Robert: Laws Dixon,i in the-> 'Sunday. Chronicle,?) They have suffered - reverses-enough? at* Westminster-to bring down- half a dozen Governments under- normal' conditions? but they surviver and they will meet Parliament-again: Some' of* th em are already planning legisla- • tioh and administrative changes* for! next year, perhaps even- for the years after. How is-this? Such moral-strength as they pos-> sess is dependent on one man,- andi were he -to disappear fatal disinte-i gration -would soon manifest itself/Sot long us ~h e remains at the head of the < Ministry it,will keep together, andi the occupants of the Treasury Bench i will not unduly blush over their* failure to fulfil pledges given to the < proletariat. In this there is no paradox, Mr! Ramsay MacDonald's power has not! a parliamentary basis. In lifting him-< self up on to the great international stage He ha s practically been able, to do without Parliament, while at the same time, through him, the other members of the Government, whether personal sucesses or failures, have been able to ■''carry on" at- Westminster. ,

. 'My Government.',' Mr ; Ramsay, MacDonald has, not > only borne the double* of the Premiership and the Foreign Office. He has carried "my Government" on his shoulders as. well.. Indisputably he has able lieutennats. Men like Mr, Philip, Snowden and Mr J. H. Thomas would give, strength to any Government, and there are other men ; on the Treasury Bench of tried calibre,. Yet, as a constant witness;.of; the proceedings of: Parliament,- I express my conviction;. that i this "minority" Socialist Government,. * without the leadership , of Mr: MacDonald, /would not have weathered the sessions just closed, even with the known disinclination of the other political - parties to force a General Election;. Something would have broken. •Mr MacDonald is a natural autocrats His «is* boundless and from the moment his way was made • clear to<> office- h©v nas* • never doubted that h e was-the man"/to fit the- time:- In the of- his Premiership'he was unsurer not, of himself, but of- the House- of- Commons. As * soon as he discovered that neither Conservatives- nor <• Liberals were eager to put hinv out,- he- went straight. ahead with u what'he- xegarded as his high mission? Mr Lloyd; George, • before him; had neglected the House of Cbmmons' because h e believed that.it'had-become his willing instrument,-" ready to register any. decree. of his-r-a belief held' too long, as he,, tragically disi covered. Mr MacDonald, just asautocratic by temperament, - as any other democrat,; neglected the House of Commons, because,; in his belief, it.did not matter, under theabnormal parliamentary conditions of. the time, whether he neglected'it or not., He was not much interested- in the Budget,,* which,, was., Mr, Snowden's. He was not greatly concerned about the Housing Bill, which was Mr Wheatley's. Occasionally he gave a glance at-other; departmental heads, with a mild interest in their success or failure.- When there was a parliamentary emergency he put in an appearance- on the Treasury Bench and pulled things together. He- defended the cruiser programme.- He-triads to justify the repulse of dominions: on the subject of Imperial Preference, He assented to the repeal of-' the M'Kenna, duties.

Still a Socialist But he showettiomy.a limited ardor on any * strictly i parliamentary, question. This was not a.Socialist;House of Commons, andihe did not conceal. the fact that he had little use fomits. So long as it was content to leave him in office, from whatever' motive, or lack of motive,-he was satisfied;He believed," given that he could do something for Europe; And in doing something for Europe he would be giving a supreme advertisement to. Socialism and Socialist states., manship.' This :was at. the,back of his head all- the. time... Make no mis-, take. Mr MacDonald■> is just ias re-. solute in his Socialism., as ever he was. Once -. or • twice -he • has; talked a vague and large Imperialism, but only to cover nip -the rejection of.some concrete proposal.' If ever he gets a parliamentary majority he wills descend to domestic policy with a swoop, and 'then you -will 1 know all -:•• about tit.? It is an interesting subject! for speculation what*would-have< happen* ed if,-' instead of adaptable Herri ot, the Frenoh; statesman personally encountered>.byuhimi: had: been the austere, immobile} andri obstinate Pbiricarei

Mr' Mae Donald -was proud sof his French "conquest." But of jhis,"treaty " with- Russia he was scarcely less proud—perhaps not less proud- at all —and in.the whole circumstances.sur-rounding-this .transaction you, had- an; illuminating revelation of the man. He-was -practically. dragged* down: tothe House of Commons to explain: himself and his handiwork* and- he' went-away before.the floodgates! of critioismiand denunciation* were- reopened.

Political Dictator has any. excuse for not-.understanding .Mr. Ramsay MacDonald. He is a self -revealed •? autocrat—a potential dictator.' He stands for. a new tyranny-r-a. benevolent tvranny, as he himself fondly- believes. But a;tyranny all the^same. What of his henchmen? Midway t in h the session It was

thought'-the. formtO*f ;a«rival was ap* —his name Wheatley. At s first- blush the Minister of Health was a formidi able persons He- presented '* himself to our astonished notice-as a terrific debater.'

Here- was.the- man to* dispute the leedership. if "Ramsay!" fell short of what .was required of him by the less sand: exacting* spirits-on- the- back benches!;; Well, the* sensation* created by, Mr Wheatleyvwas not exactly a flash in the pan/but the. Wheatiey of to-day 4s not.exactly the Wheatley who first dazzled ahe House.' Itiis.said that MrClynes has shown weakness; ast Leader of the Houbc and - that the. Whips' department is not all that it ought to be. But can these things have really mattered much if there has been no serious dl*i positions on the part •of * the Conservatives ; and the i Liberals to turn the Socialist i Government out ? The; suggestion .that Mr Clynes'should here- 1 placed in the; leadership of: the House by Mr J. H. Thomas is, from the GovClynes may be a lay figure, as hia detractors < say, l but is anything more than a lay figure required? Mr. Thomas' Uses. Why, in the name of common sense, should Mr Thomas be condemned to spend all the weary hours on the Treasury bench - when he is so useful to the Government in such a variety of ways—moderator, negotiator, pacificator, diner-out, first-class "publicity agent?" No member of the Government receives so many social inyitaernment point-of view; 1 Mr tions. He has gone to South Africa; like the thorough-going ColoniaT Secretary- that he is, but right through the London season he has been "booming'? Socialism-as no other man could'have done. He has made Socialism" and water (or shall we say Socialism and wine?) agreeable at innumerable hospitable tables. Leader of the. House? What a waste! Finally, there has been.some talk of reconstruction of the' Government It is said that certain of the Treasury bench- failures ought to be "shed" and other men put in their places. But every Government has its failures this is not more than another. Begin the work' of reconstruction, and you- set up a new crop of discontent.'

Not the least of Mr Ramsay MacDonald's achievements was the selection of his men at the beginning of the year. He may have made his mistakes, but he might 1 make bigger mistakes now-if he began to introduce new blood. There are some quite good speakers sitting behind the Treasury, -bench, but your fluent and assured baok-bencher - may -prove, and often does prove, a third or fourth-rate man when the responsibility of office is placed upon l him. There is no sign of political 'genius -amongst the present 'Socialist rank- and file. It-is. indeed, a risky game choosing your man from the back benches. He 'may turn - out —anything. ■