The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-10-01
LORD MILNER AT LAST
REGISTERS A NAY
He Declines to Take Chamber.
Ialn's Place as Colonial
Secretary.

LONDON, Sept 30.-Lord Miner has
refused to accept the colonial Office
portfolio.
Premier Balfour is expected to make
an announcement to this effect at the
luncheon at Sheffield, Oct 1.
The text of G. T. Ritchie's letter of
resignation of the post of chancellor
Of the exchequer was made public to-
night. 1t is dated Sept. Is, and runs
as follows:
Il am afraid, after what occurred
at the cabinet meeting yesterday, it is
not possible for me to remain a mem
Der of the government with any adj
vantage to myself or to 1t. I have,
therefore, to ask you to place my res
ignation in the hands Of the king.
am in entire sympathy with the desire
to unite the mother country and the
colonies more closely, but I know of
no method by which preferential treat
ment can be accorded to the colonies
other than that which is advocated by
the colonial secretary, namely, the
taxation Of food, which involves as a
consequence an increase of taxation.
TO this policy I am opposed.
I'VE are also asked to abandon the
policy of this country from which we
have derived so much advantage, but
we are not told exactly what is the
proposal. l would gladly give consid-
Grafton to any practicable scheme for
obtaining better access to foreign mar
kets or for meeting the evils of which
we complain, but We have had no such
scheme placed before us. I fear, how
ever unintentionally, any proposal for
retaliatory duties would inevitably lead
to protection and produce far greater
evils than 1t was desired to prevent"
ExColonial Secretary Chamberlain
has prepared pamphlet, which is in
the nature of manifesto, and which
will be issued Monday, on the subject
OF his fiscal policy pronouncement.- 1t
is said that it sets forth clearly and
definitely Mr.. Chamberlain's views and
adheres to the points he emphasized in
his Birmingham speech, including i'm
posing a duty on breadstuffs.
The Midlothian, Edinburgh, Liberal
association has adopted Lord Dalmeny,
eldest son of the Earl of Rosebery, as
its candidate for parliament at the
next general election. Lord Dalmeny,
in his address accepting the nominal
ton, said he was a Gladstonian free
trader and unalterably opposed to Jo-
Seph Chamberlain'S preferential trade
proposals.
Lord Hamilton's Views.
The letter of resignation Of Lord
George Hamilton, the late secretary of
state for India, was published tonight,
accompanied by letter to the chair
man Of the Conservative council Of
Ealing, which he represented In parlia-
ment. The letter of resignation says:
After the recent discussions in the
cabinet and the knowledge I have OBJ
tanned Of the propositions you propose
to publicly advocate 1 have no alterna-
tive than to resign"
The letter proceeds to define Lord
George Hamilton'S views and SAYS that
anything tending to raise the price Of
production in Great Britain Is injuri-
Gus to trade, and the interference with
or reversal Of the policy of free i'm
ports must operate in that direction.
He fails to see how recourse to protec-
ton or retaliation can be of advantage
to the general import trade and says
he cannot be party to the reversal Of
the principles of Great Britains fiscal
policy.
He believes that the system of pref
erential trade within the empire and
retaliation outside will be detrimental
to the commerce and industry Of India.
Lord George Hamilton expresses the
belief that the greatest danger to Brit
ish industries arises from the econom-
ical and scientific methods of produc-
ton which their foreign rivals are in
PRODUCING into the manufacture of ar
ticles in which Great Britain was for
merly superior. He points out that the
country has borne with surprising ease
the heavy load of taxation necessitated
by the South African war and has
emerged from that ordeal with unim-
paired credit.