24 MARCH 1928, Page 2

Monday was a far less happy day. The wretched . Zinovieff

letter occupied the HOuse to nobody's acIvantage? Mr. MacDonald moved for an inquiry, which nobody really wanted. He repeated what was, if repetition was needed, quite justified and proper—namely, a defence of himself and the Foreign Office for publishing the letter with the note of stiff protest to the Russians. But instead of confining himself to that he went on, with the forcible- feeble ranting of which we are weary, to accuse other people of tricking the electorate to vote against the Labour Party. The Prime Minister answered, exactly as we lately wrote, that the Campbell case and the Trade Agreement had turned the country against the Party, and he stated the convincing proofs that the letter was genuine (which Mr. MacDonald could not deny) and he showed how futile an inquiry would be. Then he unex- pectedly read a letter from Mr. Donald im Thum, who proves to have been the person who sent copies to the Foreign Office and the Daily Mail; There was no more interest to be got out, of a dreary business, though' baseless insinuations were made about the ,honesty of, the unfortunate , official who was so prominent in the " francs case " and has suffered severely in consequence.' _ .