4 AUGUST 1917, Page 3

A Parliamentary storm which blew up out of Mr. Henderson

'a sudden visit to Paris subsided on Wednesday when explanations were given in the House of Commons. His resignalon was de- manded because he had gone to Paris with Mr. Rameay MacDonald, Mr. Wardle, and the four delegates from the Russian Soviet, to discuss with French Socialiets the holding of an International Conference at Stockholm. It was argued that his double position as a member of the War Cabinet and as Secretary of the Labour Party was anomalous, exposed the cause of the Allies to danger, and ought to be ended. Mr. Henderson, aided later by Mr. Lloyd George, explained that his anomalous position was in a way inevit- able ; it was just because be was an official Labour leader that he had been asked to join the Cabinet. Only by such an appoint- ment could a bridge be maintained between the Government and. the forces of Labour, whose support was essential to a united war policy. There was a balance of advantage and disadvantage in the arrangement, and on the whole the advantage was much the greater.