The Prime Minister dealt with the pacifist dilemma of the
Labour Party very effectively when he said, with reference to the launching of the great campaign on the Government record on the League of Nations—" all that I want to say to them is that as Prime Minister, and with the fullest sense of responsibility, I welcome that campaign most heartily. . . . But I warn lion. Members that they will have to choose definitely before they have finished their meetings on which side of the fence they are coming." Mr. Baldwin's speech was a great Parlia- mentary performance. Once again he showed his extra- ordinary facility for recovering from a previous failure with a speech so good that even his bitterest critics arc compelled to admiration. To every question put to him by the Opposition he had a detailed answer, which he delivered so well that arguments that had appeared to be formidable to the Government were converted into hammer strokes against the Opposition. It was his speech more than any other factor that prevented the abstentions, which at one time appeared likely to be considerable, on the Government side.
Previous page
