The sun., 1903-08-02
ENG[AND'SFREETRADELEADER
Ur0F DEVONSHTRE MAY HEAD
a>TI-CHAMBERLAIN FIGHT.
,u, Sunporters stilI Playing a Waiting
comc-The l'nlOnlst Party Us Certain
n lie split - winston Ghnrchilrs
.,tack on the Colonial Secretary.
.,,.,,, cao,c Despatch % THE sun.

.,.-,,, Cdb'e Despatch % THE SUN
toxnox. Aug. THE people and poll
...,.,s oi Great Britain. with few excep-
.i.,. oro still sitting on the fence" Those
,,hn are destined 10 be the real leaders in
,t., struggle over Colonial Secretary Cham
harI,,p's policy refuse as yet to be drawn
,,,, any additional statements to which
,,,o,rtonca can be attached.
vr Chamberlain, in order to calm the
alarm, Of Lancashire lest raw cotton should
J.. taxed has declared: Such state
,,sn, is absolutely untrue as regards my
sos In fact, | have publicly repudiated
,,e ,dna of tax on raw material
Prime Minister Balfour and Secretary
chamberlain have otherwise said nothing
IN the past week really bearing upon the
r-ea, issue which is about to be fought
n,,t though the latter in the House of Com
,,ons has in so many words accepted the
far, that his policy will effect diagonal
cleavage Of the rnionist party.
Rushing in where angels las yeti fear TO
,rsad Winston Churchill has vigorously
and ably attacked Mr.. Chamberlain, both
IN and ont Of the House, but the latters
rolicy Chancellor of the ExcteGuer
Richie has said nothing further. Sir
Michael Hicks Beach, his predecessor in
thesame office. does not attend the sessions
of the House. and the Duke OF Devonshire.
the Conservative leader in the House of
Lords, refuses to be drawn out, except as
his speeches already made have indicated
his position in the matter.
Meanwhile the rank and file of the Union
,st PARTY have to walk warily. II is evil
dent that they fear greatly the electoral
crv Of small and dear loaf. II is equally
evident that they do not yet know whether
political salvation is to be found under the
wing Of Mr.. Chamberlain or under that Of
the Duke Of Devonshire
The death of Donald Nicol, the Con-
servative member for Argyllshire, has
brought on another by-election at an in
convenient moment for the wabblers, and
the Unionst canGid te, Mr.. Stewart, in
his address to the electors, shows how
painful his position is He states vaguely
IF there are clouds on the horizon threat
ening prosperity in manufacture or n
trades. Il searching inquiry as to the cause
of the decline and fearless resolution to
apply an appropriate remedy are assuredly
10 be commended
Mr. Stewart. however, is unable, as he
says, "at present" TO believe that any col
lateral gain could be an adequate compen-
sation for the increase in the cost Of food;
vet, he declares, he should regard it as
cowardly and understandable to shrink
from an investiga ton
When nothing more definite than this
can I've supplied from the Unonist head
quarters for candidates election addresses
the present state Of things in the party
ray easily be imagined.
One striking result of Mr.. Chamberlain s
move has been the resuscitation of the Duke
f Devonshire as live figure in the pClit
/, al arena in which he seems to have been
slrrnbering so long. SO far he has undoubt-
odly appeared as the champion of the free
traders, and has shown a wakefulness and
a vigor in the House of Lords such as he
has not displayed in many years
The Duke, indeed seems destined to lead
the fgh against Chamberlain in the country
when the battle is finally Joined He is
even spoken of as a likely free trade premier,
replacing Mr.. Balfour. if the struggle be-
tween the two sections of the Cabinet should
end in a victory for the free traders Even
Radical Of the type of Henry W Mas
singham contemplates such a result with
equanimity, even with joy, declaring:
There is a certain fitness in the reversion
to the Duke as the nearest and st toutest
resource Of the nation in the great diff
Guilty in which Chamberlain's recklessness
has involved it, He represents kind OF
halfway house in the journey of mind the
country is taking from Imperialism to
liberalism"
But a solution such as a Devonshire
Ministry could not be anything like final,
even II possible. Nevertheless, the mere
fact Of the Duke Of Devonshire appearing
as an active protagonist in the fight, and
the added fact that he can be looked upon,
even speculatively. as a possible stop-gap
Premier, is interesting in English domestic
politics Of the day.