Voyage Exploratory

(See front cover)

A fog descended upon London and environs. It was not a "London particular," but sufficient of a fog to make Philip Snowden, the Crippled Chancellor, hero of the pan-European money-squabble at The Hague (TIME, Aug. 12 to Sept. 9), look more gnome-like than ever as he stumped on his canes into No. 10 Downing St. for one of the most special Cabinet meetings in recent British history. Gnome-like also, or like a maimed goodwife from the fairy books, looked motherly Margaret ("Aunt Maggie") Bondfield, the Secretary of Labor, who had to be helped from her motor by chauffeur and nurse, having broken her ankle on vacation.

It was the last Cabinet meeting prior to the first visit of a British Prime Minister to the U. S. Everyone in London (and many throughout England*) felt the moment keenly. People hovered about Downing Street. What could properly be called the World Press was on tiptoes and the telephone. The U. S. Ambassador, Charles Gates Dawes, arrived (without pipe, for the spotlight was not on him) to say good-bye and make friendly suggestions. Also came (impossible in a less civilized country) the leader of the Opposition, Stanley Baldwin, the ousted Conservative chief saying "good-bye-good luck" to the installed Labor Chief, for the general good it might do England.

The preoccupied Cabinet discussed things which deemed at the moment almost as desultory as the day's fog--the crash of certain stocks on Change; Russian recognition; Unemployment; the Coal Mining situation; Slum Clearance. It acquiesced in the appointment of the keen little Crippled Chancellor as Acting Prime Minister. Also the Cabinet listened to its chief's words of regret about having to miss the impending conclave of the Labor Party at Brighton.* Finally, of course, the Prime Minister explained once more why he was going abroad.

Preparations. Ishbel MacDonald, roseate daughter and hostess of the Prime Minister, was discovered buying apparel for the trip. Laborite feelings were reassured by news that she and her father intended to live from three suitcases apiece--he trusting to luck for golf clubs if they should be usable, she upon diplomatic courtesy for anything her natural complexion might not conquer.

Voyage. As his penultimate word to the Daily Herald, Labor's organ, Prime Minister MacDonald said:

"I go on a voyage of exploration.

"The greatest contribution which this generation can make to history is to establish peace among nations and induce them to feel a sense of security by political agreements carried out by judicial means.

"The United States and ourselves, having the same objects, should proclaim them with a united voice. . . .

"I go away to see what can be done."

As sailing time drew near it became more and more apparent that naval reductions, Prohibition treaties and all other specific topics were receding in the Prime Minister's mind, that he was setting out for a goodwill trip much like Herbert Hoover's tour of Latin America last winter as President-elect. His final word as the boat-train pulled out of crowded Waterloo Station was: "I hope to be able to do something to narrow the Atlantic."

At Southampton he said: "I go . . . as a humble missionary of peace."

Article of Faith. The crowd at the station sang "Auld Lang Syne." The King-Emperor sent godspeed from Sandringham: ". . . [the voyage] is a contribution to those happy relations between two great peoples which must be an article of faith among all men of goodwill."

Wider Stage. At Geneva last month, in the epic speech of his career, Scot MacDonald cried: "Some of us--all of us-- are still too heavily armed.'' Now he explained in his last message: "I do not . . . expect my stay in Washington to lead to spectacular developments . . . one reason for this is that the current negotiations for naval disarmament have been carried so far that they have now to be brought to the wider international stage." The next day President Hoover in the U. S. received for his approval a copy of Britain's invitation to Japan, Italy and France for the much-discussed Five-Power Naval Conference at London in January. President Hoover took occasion to correct the British version of his country's cruiser requirements, inserting "285,000 tons" instead of "315,000 tons," an erroneous figure which had somehow stuck in Mr. MacDonald's head.

In Tokyo, the Japanese Cabinet voted to accept the invitation before its arrival.

Paris, ever cautious, waited to make sure the MacDonald visit to Washington would not result in an English-speaking alliance.

The Party. Daughter Ishbel and her bags; Sir Robert Gilbert Vansittart, Principal Private Secretary, and his bags; Sydney Baron Arnold, leader of the Labor Party in Britain's upper house, and his bags; Rose Rosenberg, the Prime Minister's personal private secretary, and her bags; R. L. Craigie, head of the American Department of the Foreign Office, and his bags; Thomas Jones Esq., Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet, onetime ironworks clerk, teacher, preacher, confidant of Prime Ministers since the War, and his bags--these with the Prime Minister were the Laborite fillings for the imperial suite and adjacent rooms on the Cunarder S. S. Berengaria, a suite prepared for possible use by Kaiser Wilhelm II, when the ship was built in 1912 as the Imperator, to be flagship of the Hamburg-America Line. To cross the ocean in this suite costs some $4,025 in the summer season, $2,875 in the winter. Other occupants have been the Prince of Wales, Gloria Swanson, Sanders A. Wertheim (coal), Samuel R. Rosoff (subways).

Departure. The MacDonalds found their quarters banked with flowers and white (lucky) heather. To two members of the family, younger son Malcolm and young daughter Sheila, they had said goodbye in London. The two others,* eldest son Alastair (architect) and young daughter Joan, passed the night on board while the Berengaria lay at the dock.

On sailing day, the Prime Minister and daughter Ishbel were on deck at 6:30 a. m., he in brown with white sport shoes, she buttoned up in a reindeer jacket. After breakfast they stood at the rail talking down to Alastair and Joan on the pier. Ishbel threw some pennies at Alastair, which he failed to catch in his hat.

Another sudden fog descended, delaying departure for two hours. When the ship did begin moving from the pier, a handsome, whitehaired Negro followed it, booming above the chorus of farewells something about a "mission for freedom."

At Sea. Out of the fogs of the old world, toward the far shores of the new, sailed the "peace missionary." Fellow passengers were pleased to see him putting a lifebelt on Ishbel and taking his allotted post at lifeboat drill. In the dining saloon he did not sit at Captain Sir Arthur Henry Rostron's table but had a commonplace table of his own. On deck he read books, posed for the news cameras, chatted with his cabin-neighbor, Sir Joseph Duveen. Ishbel wrote letters for hours at a public desk. At Cherbourg, a French airplane circled overhead in parting salute. . . .

Greetings. Never before has a Prime Minister of England visited the U. S. and never before Friday Oct. 4 will a U. S. Secretary of State have stood in waiting on Manhattan Island for an emissary from His Britannic Majesty. With Statesman Henry Lewis Stimson of the U. S. was to stand British Ambassador Sir Esme Howard and entourage. Off to Washington the party was to put, after the inevitable reception by the notoriously hospitable officials of Tammany Hall.

Meeting. Fourteen years ago Herbert Clark Hoover, reliever of war suffering, was one of the most conspicuous and popular figures in London. James Ramsay MacDonald, outspoken antagonist of war, red-necktied pacifist, was obscure and highly unpopular. While Mr. Hoover was earning praise and decorations all over Europe, Mr. MacDonald was ousted from his Lossiemouth Golf Club for conscientious "slacking," for Socialism.* Though they had mutual friends, they never met. Their first meeting was two years ago during the Scot's "sentimental journey" (to see his old friend, Miss L. S. W. Perkins of Concord, Mass., before she died).

Program. In Washington, D. C., the program as announced last week specified "full military honors," despite the antimilitary nature of the MacDonald "exploration." From the Washington station on, the MacDonald program:

To the British Embassy, surrounded by crack cavalry. Traffic halted in the streets.

After 1 1/2 hrs., a call at the White House, during which will be received an invitation to spend the weekend.

Press reception (7 p. m.) at the British Embassy.

Informal dinner at the British Embassy (8 p. m.).

Official calls (Saturday morning) on Vice President Curtis, Chief Justice Taft and Speaker Longworth at the Capitol.

Call on Secretary of State Stimson at the State Department.

Luncheon at the British Embassy.

Then, until Tuesday, to stay at the White House. Weather permitting, a motor trip to the President's camp in the mountains of Virginia.

To see Congress (Monday a. m.) in session.

To a State dinner for 90 people, including the entire Cabinet at the White House (8 p. m. Monday).

*The city of Leicester, which Ramsay MacDonald represented from 1906 until 1918, when it rejected him for his pacifism, last week voted him freedom-of-the-city.

* Reports were that the Labor Party's program would be sustained, at least during Mr. MacDonald's western visit, by the Liberal (balance-of-power) Party, whose Federation prepared last week to resolve to "do everything possible to facilitate the conduct of public affairs without foregoing the right of free and reasonable criticism."

Stanley Baldwin balanced the effect of his Downing Street call by announcing that such success as the Labor (he called it "Socialist") government was having was due to its adoption of Conservative (Baldwin) policies.

*Mrs. Margaret Ethel Gladstone MacDonald died in 1911.

*He did courageous ambulance work overseas.