LABOR LOOKS AT THE KING

Bowing to the apparently inevitable, and comforted by the assurance of her own financial and political solidity, staid England has resigned herself to an impending interlude of Labor government. But it is evident that the rule of these heretofore political pariahs is being tolerated only as an interlude, to serve perhaps as a horrible example which will frighten the more conservative elements of the other two parties into a firm and workable coalition.

Unfortunately interfering with this phlegmatic calm appears the challenge of J. Ramsey Macdonald, hailed as the coming Labor Premier. To The World he writes, essentially in reply to Herbert Asquith's speech of a fortnight ago, that the King, whose privilege of refusing a general election was counted on by the followers of Asquith to terminate Labor's rule at the desired moment, must act according to the advice of the Minister. Hence after a short period of Labor rule, instead of the government falling without a general election into the hands of Herbert Asquith as one of the available and willing Ministers he himself describeed, Labor upon the demand of Mr. Macdonald must be allowed to go before the country for vindication or defeat. In view of the astonishing increase in the number of Labor members sent up by the last election, this second election, sure to be demanded, might conceivably produce a slight Labor majority over both of the other two still widely divergent parties.

England is forced, at last, to give serious consideration to this new Labor party unified and inspirited by Mr. Macdonald, and committed to the sufficiently radical platform of a capital levy and nationalization of mines and railways.