WEDGEWOOD FINDS DEMOCRACY BESIEGED EVERYWHERE BY WOULD-BE MUSSOLINIS

"Dictatorships to right of us, dictatorships to left of us, volley and thunder, expresses the present aspect of democracy in Europe at the present time," said Colonel J. C.'-Wedgewood, former British cabinet minister, to a CRIMSON reporter yesterday.

Colonel Wedgewood has had a varied career in England. He is a naval architect by profession, but has also been active as an advocate of the single tax, and a prominent member of the Labor Party.

He is a veteran of both the Boer War and the disastrous Gallipoli Campaign of the World War, in the latter of which he was twice wounded. He was Chairman of the Labor Party in 1921, and Commander of the Royal Naval Voluntary Reserve in 1924. Since then he has served as Chancellor for Lancaster in the cabinet of Ramsay MacDonald.

Democracy at Ebb Tide

"Democracy," he continued, "is at its lowest ebb at the present time. Even in France, a dictatorship may be the only thing which can save the people from themselves."

Colonel Wedgewood went on to say a word about the best democracies of today. "Great Britain," he said, "is more democratic than America today, but her dominions, especially Australia, are even further advanced." Australia has six states, five of which are now governed by the Labor Party. In Australia all titles have been abolished.

As to the position of the Labor Party in England at the present time, Colonel Wedgewood gave the following prophecy: "The Labor Party will not come back to power for ten years and thereafter will be the alternate in the administration of England during the next 50 years. At present there are 400 Conservatives and 150 Laborites in parliament. Whenever the Tory group splits, the Labor Party will take up the reins again. It is not probable that Lloyd George, who is now attempting to affiliate himself with Labor, will ever become prime minister again.

Blames It on the Bolsheviks

"We were driven out because the Bolshevists were associated with our party in the minds of the voters. Although we are often called Socialists such is not the case, but we don't mind being called names in England the way you do here in America."

When asked if the Labor Party might be France's saviour, he replied, "The parties which call themselves Labor in France are divided into Communists and Socialists, neither of which has the spirit extant in England. There is no chance of their cooperation, for they hate each other bitterly. The Communists take their orders from Moscow, and the Socialists from 'the State'. But 'the State' as an institution is dying."

Colonel Wedgewood next gave his opinions on the League of Nations, and his party's stand on the subject. He also commented on the widely discussed controversies of the entrance of the United States and Russia into the League.

"The Labor Party of England," he declared, "is a strong advocate of peace. I wish that some central spot could be found in the ocean where all the battleships and war airplanes could be brought together in a gigantic crash.

Nordics and the League

"The purpose of the League of Nations is to promote peace. This institution as it now exists is dominated by the Latin countries, especially France and Italy. The religion of most of these countries is largely Catholic. The influence of the Nordic races, in particular the Anglo-Saxon is not strong. England hardly feels safe as she stands now. We were lucky to have Germany join us.

"As to America, England's position would be stabilized by her entrance to the League but if I were in her shoes, I most emphatically would not join the organization. So England must fight her own battles in Europe henceforth.

Down With the Bolsheviks

"You ask about Russia. Controlled as she is by the different radical factions, I think it an impossibility for her to join us. Yet I will say that the issue on this point has been mis-stated. It has been debated widely, I believe, whether or not Russia should be welcomed into the League. Personally, I would put the question, 'Will Russia ever be able to enter the League?'"

Colonel Wedgewood now turned briefly to American politics. Like most visiting Englishmen, he refused to commit himself definitely concerning this touchy subject.

"The Labor Party in America is not generally recognized in England," he said, "and at present the two do not go hand in hand, as has been often stated. The chief difficulty I find with American politics, is understanding the difference between the aims of the Republican and Democratic Parties."

Colonel Wedgewood is spending ten days in Boston, and spoke yesterday at a gathering of single tax men. He will go from here to New York, and will then proceed west, stopping in Detroit and Chicago. "After my trip west," he concluded, I intend to return to my own country immediately, feeling that I have done my the towards teaching the American people their own business."