"Silver Greyhound"

A charge of "truckling to Mussolini" was hurled by Liberal and Labor news organs, last week, at Sir Austen Chamberlain, His Majesty's lanky, imperturbable Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.

The imputed truckle was Sir Austen's failure to protest, last week, after two Fascist detectives in Milan had assaulted, clubbed and kicked not merely a British subject but Captain Delafons.

The captain is known officially as a "King's Messenger" and popularly as a "Silver Greyhound." He is one of only 25 picked diplomatic couriers who have the right to wear as a distinctive badge a small silver coursing greyhound.

Sent on official business from Rome to

Milan, last fortnight, Captain Delafons was stopped on the street by two plug-uglies in civilian clothes who demanded his credentials. Suspecting that their motive was robbery, the Royal Greyhound called for help. Soon a policeman hustled all concerned to a police station. There the plug-uglies proved that they are Fascist detectives, and Captain Delafons that he is a King's Messenger.

Later in the day the same two Fascists stole up behind their victim, blackjacked, pummeled, kicked.

When several days succeeded this assault without any demand for satisfaction being made by London upon Rome, the British Labor press bitterly recalled that at least three members of Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin's Cabinet are notoriously Mussoliniphile.*

The Liberal New Statesmen cried, "Fascism, like Bolshevism, is a political disease!" hinted that the British Cabinet might be infected.

Sir Austen Chamberlain finally noticed the Labor-Liberal clamor by announcing to the House of Commons that, "in deference to the strongly expressed wish of Captain Delafons himself, His Majesty's Ambassador at Rome has authorized the Italian authorities not to prosecute the assailants, who made a strong plea for mercy."

Since the "wishes" of a King's Messenger can scarcely be other than those of His Majesty's Government, Sir Austen had said nothing to disprove the unparliamentary charge that he had truckled.

* The three: Home Secretary Sir William "Jix" Joynson-Hicks; Secretary of State for India the Earl of Birkenhead; and Chancellor of the Exchequer Winston Churchill.