Maiden Rothermere

Last winter bulbous, blustery Viscount Rothermere, "Hearst of England," was furiously castigated in the House of Lords for the fact that he had been a peer for 20 years without so much as taking his seat. His attacker was peppery Major General Baron Mottistone of Mottistone. Barked Lord Mottistone: "I denounce him for his absence from this House! And I say it is wrong that this man can control great organs of public opinion and circulate to millions his wild statements."

One day last week the handful of peers and black-frocked bishops in the House stared bug-eyed at Lord Rothermere's chair--filled by the porcine bulk of Lord Rothermere himself. That he was there to make his maiden speech was astonishing enough. That the speech was to back up Critic Mottistone of Mottistone, was amusing. Crowning absurdity was the reason for the speech--to shout alarums against Hitlerized Germany.

In all England, Adolf Hitler had no warmer sponsor than his friend Lord Rothermere. Five years ago the Rothermere Daily Mail hailed "the rebirth of Germany as a nation." Home from a visit to Munich, Rothermere exulted: "Under Herr Hitler's control the youth of Germany will be effectively organized against the corruption of Communism." More than a year ago he took up with Sir Oswald Mosley, vigorously pushed the Mosley "British Union of Fascists." Then came last June's Blood Purge in Germany, the instant revulsion of British sentiment against Naziism. Chuckleheaded Rothermere dropped Blackshirt Mosley like a hot potato, exclaiming: "The Blackshirts are too exotic for me. Good-by." More recently, as deftly as he could, he has transformed his praise of Hitler statesmanship into a warning against Hitler power. His Daily Mail has bristled with raucous articles entitled "The Coming Air War," "Armaments First," "The Blazing Sky," "We Need War Planes."

Thus last week Lord Rothermere uprose to speak for Lord Mottistone's motion to appoint a Cabinet Minister to co-ordinate British defenses against attack. Boomed Lord Rothermere:

"There is growing up on the continent of Europe a military power far superior to us in strength for offensive purposes and full of aggression which might take at any time a hostile attitude toward this country. . . . I say it with full responsibility, that at the present moment Germany has 10,000 bombing planes of long range and high speed, and capable of carrying something approaching a ton each of high explosives. That is a terrible danger to this country. . . . The only way it can be met is by letting any possible enemy know that they will get the goods they give. . . . Britain may have to spend -L-100,000,000 a year on air defense because we must never forget that we have to spend -L-5 for every -L-1 spent by Germany, [where] nearly all labor is conscript. . . ."

As usual with causes espoused by Lord Rothermere, the Mottistone motion was voted down.

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