April 25.
An interesting report carried by Havas, but not by the other news agencies, is to the effect that endeavours are being made to persuade Mr. Anthony Eden to return to the Cabinet, which he left a short while ago. Well-informed circles are reported to have stated that Mr. Eden's attitude is that he will not] accept any ministerial portfolio so long as Mr. Chamberlain remains Prime Minister." If indeed, that is the case, then the alleged' cordiality expressed between the two when. tendering and accepting the famous resignation, amounted to a display of superfluous courtesy in a matter where it is obvious that} 'a very great amount of personal feeling was apparent at least on one side, That Lord Halifax should have been the person to enter into discussions with Mr, Eden is all the more remarkable, secing that he is at present) holding the office which Mr. Eden had vacated. The suggestion underlying the! reports is that all is not well within the ranks of the supporters of the Government, and that the reverses in the bye-elections at West} Fulham and Ipswich have given Mr. Cham-Berlain's supporters much food for thought. The question naturally arises as to whether the threatened schism in the Natignal Government's ranks is such as to endanger the retention of power by the present Cabinet, There are significant indications in the country that there is a very large section of the voters who favour Mr. Eden's uncom promising foreign policy, and that a number Moderate Conservatives and National Liberals will only. continue to support the Government provided it abandons its "too rightist" tendency. It is apparent that] voters of the same political complexion, in. the bye-elections in question, threw their support in favour of the Labour candidates, with the result that the Government lost seats which they had held since the last general' election. There are, of course, in elections! such as these, local considerations which have to be reckoned with in estimating the ultimate significance of these reverses, but for the purpose of this discussion it is to be assumed that those factors carried little weight in view of the seriousness of the major questions involved.
It is a matter of very considerable doubt whether, if Mr, Chamberlain went to the country now, he would again be returned to power. Mr. Eden, and those who think like: him, have a very considerable following, and, if its numbers were used for the purpose of defeating the Prime Minister's candidates. in a general election, there is reason to sup~ pose that a coalition of Labour with the National Liberals and moderate Conservatives might be returned to office. There is, however, at the present moment nothing to suggest, that' the present Cabinet does not control majority in the House of Commons, and little indeed to suggest that in the near future it may be so placed. The position, therefore, seems to be that the bye-elections should serve as a serious warning to the Prime Minister that his policy has the country fairly] sharply, and probably almost evenly divided and that only in the successful achievement) of his aims is to be found any hope for a victory in the event of a general appeal to} the polls.. The result of the: Anglo-Italian. conversations, and the signature of an accord. between the two nations is just one of those successes which may help to swing public opinion more in favour of Mr. Chamberlain and away from Mr. Eden. Should the League Nations be persuaded to recognize the Italian Empire, a further success will have been gained by Mr. Chamberlain, and should the forthcoming Franco-Italian negotiations open the way for final conversations with Germany, there can be little doubt that the British voter with all his natural gift for} compromise will recognize that this has been done in this instance and that an appeasement of the general situation will have brought about a degree of security which has been absent from Europe for much too long period. Mr. Chamberlain so long as he can retain control of the House will proceed with his present policy, perhaps playing for time until he can prove to the country at large' that his line in diplomacy was the only. correct one, relying upon results to convince the very practical voter of the truth of his contention, Mr. Chamberlain must stand fall by the results he secures; if they are good he need not fear ta face' the country; should it turn out in the long run that they! are otherwise that fact will have signed his political death warrant, But what of Mr. Eden? it may be asked. Mr. Eden is a young man, with practically. the whole of his political career before him. He can afford to wait, and the period of wait ing need not be long, if reports of the Prime. Minister's intention to resign in the autumn' of next year prove to be correct. It would probably have militated against his future if, so quickly after his breach with Mr. Chamberlain, he returned to his Cabinet, for! Mr. Eden slands for a policy based upon prineiple—and principle is as dear to the average Briton as is his liking of compromise—while the Prime Minister, modifying his application of the former by utilizing the latter, has cast himself in the role of a devil with whom to dine Mr. Eden would need a remarkably long spoon. The suggestion has been made that Mr, Eden might be appointed as Ambassador to Washington, Such a move would undoubtedly be popular with the: people of the United States, but it is doubtful whether he would lend himself to carrying! out the policy of a man—even within the, limitations which the suggested appointment! would entail—with whom on the general} outline he is so completely at variance. The late Foreign Secretary will most probably decide that his future prospects require him to be continually on the spot in Great Britain, His own career appears to dictate that necessity, while his many supporters would regret any' step which removed him from the immediate scene, Even then his own position is at the present moment not absolutely secure, The course of events during the next eighteen months may have an important effect upon that section of the British public which at the moment so enthusiastically supports him. A victorious National Government returned at the next general election might still find no room for Mr. Eden's services and his resumption of office might thereby again be delayed, for it would be impossible to re~ quire him' to continue a policy which he resents—even though it might have been endorsed by its success, and the verdict of the electors—and he might not care to assume another portfolio without first having regained the. Foreign Secretaryship. It is a strange position, but nevertheless a true one, that the fate of Mr, Eden lies squarely in the hands of the Powers with whom Mr. Chamberlain desires a better understanding. If they fail Mr, Chamberlain they confer the crown of victory, with all that it may mean, upon the brows of the late Foreign Secretary.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.