The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-18
designations of Chancellor of ENchequer and Secretary for
 India Are Also Accepted
EXPLAINS HIS ACTION
 IN LETTER ID BALFOUR
Would Be Justly Blamed If He Re mained in Office and Excluded From Programme Policy of :.
 t Preferential Tariff.

London, September 17.-The official an- nouncement of the resgnatons of Mir. Chamberlain and two other members of the cabinet, which were announced by the Associated Press earlier in the day. was made late tonight at Downing street in the following communications
 The following ministers have ordered their resignations which have been ac- cepted by the king: Right Hon. Joseph Chamberlain; secretary for the colonies; Right Hon. c. T. Ritchie, chancellor of the .exchequer, and Lord George Hamil- ton. secretary for India.
 "The accompanying correspondence passed between the premier Right Hon. A. J. Balfour and MT. Chamberlain"
 Then follows Mr. Chamberlain's letter. dated Birmingham September 9. com mencing: My Dear Balfour' in which he sets forth his reasons for his resigna- ton. A feature of the letter is tho lowing statement. concerning a
 tial tariff:
 On the Tariff.
 For the present, at any rate q pre- ferential agreement with our colonies in- volving any new duty, however small on articles of food hitherto untaxed, even If accompanied by a reduction of taxation on other articles of food equal ly universal in their consumption, would be unacceptable to the majority of the constituencies. However, much we may regret the decsion however mistaken we may think 1t, no good government in democratic country can gnore it. I 1 feel, therefore, t. at as an immediate prac- tical policy the question of preference to the colonies cannot be pressed with any hope of success at the present time, al- though there Is a very strong feeling in favor of the other branch of fiscal re- form which would give fuller discretion to the government in negotiating with foreign countries for a freer exchange of commodities and which would enable our representatives to retaliate if no con cession was made to our just demands
 Closer Union Necessary.
 If, as l believe. you share these views, 1t seems to me that you will be abso- lutely justified in adopting them as the policy of your government, although 1t will necessarily involve some changes in It's constitution. As secretary for the colonies during the last eight years [ have been in a special sense the repre- sentative of the policy of closer union which l firmly believe to be equally necessary in the interests of the colonists and ourselves. I believe 1t Is possible today and may be impossible tomorrow to make arrangements for such a union. l have had unexampled opportunities for watching events and appreciating the feelings of our kinsmen beyond the seas. l stand, therefore, in different position to any of my colleagues and I think that 1 should justly be blamed if I remained in office and thus formally accepted the exclusion from my poiticai programme of so important part thereof
 From the Outside.
 'I think that with absolute loyalty to your government and with no fear of embarrassing it in any way l can best promote the cause I have at heart from the outside, and l cannot but hope that in perfectly independent position my arguments may be received with less prejudice than would attach tc those of a party leader. Accordingly ! would suggest that you limit the present policy Of the government to an assertion of our Freedom In the case of all commercial relations with foreign countries and that you should agree to my rendering my resignation of my present office to his majesty and devoting myself to the work of explaining and popularizing these principles of imperial union which expe- rience has convinced me are essential to our future welfare and prosperity.
 Yours very sincerely.
 JOSEPH CHAMBERLAIN"
 The first portion of the letter refers to MT Chamberlain's first speech on the sub ject at Birmingham and MT Balfour's re- ply to the corn tax deputation. MT Cham- berlain says that neither of them was in- tended to provoke a purely party contro- versy.