The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-26
BRITISH CABINET DIVIDED.
AppEAL TO THE COUNTRY EN-
PECTED ~ NOV EMBER.
po,,,,cal situation Developing SLOWLY
Labor Candidate Wins In the Barnard
castle EIectiOn--TarifH Issue May lie
the Cause Of tniOnlst Defeat.

.Sp,cfa, cable Despatch to THE Sun.
LONDON. July 25--The situation in do
nestle politics in England develops very
slo,,v The result of tho Barnard Castle
election to-day throws little or no light on
party prospects
=. !, was the first one that has been held
.ince Mr.. Chamberlain brought forward
his tariff proposals. and it was stated that
N. result would turn on the question of
protection or free trade
In tho last general election Sir Joseph
ps,se, Liberal, received 5,03e, and Col. Vane,
rnionist, S.s4S votes. This year there were
,h,.., candidates in the fieldMr. Beau
mont Liberal; Col. Vane, Unionist, and Mr..
Henderson, the Labor candidate. who won.
Tho vote was Henderson, $3.50; Vane. $685.
Beaumont, $500.
Mr. Henderson was until recently tho
oficial Liberal agent in the constituency.
and is personally popular. Col. Vane is
aIso very strong and the fact that he
no,ed %, votes less than in the general
election of 1900 may be due to the influence
y, ,hs cry of a little loaf of bread, for he is a
sunnorter of Mr.. Chamberlain's protective
,arif proposals On the other hand the
bes, opinion is that the contest was irfu-
enc.d more by the Education act than by
any other subject
Thus II anv deduction can be drawn from
the election it is that the autumn campaign
which will follow the rising of Parliament in
August is to settle whether the country
s,pports the Colonial Secretary or not.
Official assurances are given that the Gov
eminent absolutely does not contemplate
an early general election. but there is gen.
oral belief that it will come in March. by
which time Colonial Secretary Chamberlain
will have put forward his scheme and the
leaders will have declared themselves on
one side or the other.
There is yet third opinion. which is sup
ported by many that when the Cabinet meets
In November at the usual meeting prelim-
mary to the new session, it will be found that
its members are too divided to carry on the
Government and that an appeal to the
country will follow But it is certain that
every effort will be made to avoid it. and
party discipline will be exerted to the utmost
TO avoid general upheaval at the end Of the
year
The speculation az to the result Of the
general election, whenever it comes is still
a matter of great difficulty, depending on
the effect of the statement OF Colonial
Secretary Chamberlain on his return from
South Africa that the day Of the United
Kingdom is ended and that Of the British
Empire is about to dawn. There are those
who are convinced that Mr.. Chamberlain
will effect diagonal cleavage in existing
parties and come in as the first Prime Min
lister of party whose main policy will he
q scheme OF imperial federation. 1t is
manifest already that the Duke OF Devon
shire, viscount Goschen, Sir Michael Hicks
Beach, the Right Hon. G. T. Richie, Chancel-
Tor OF the Exchequer. and Lords James.
Cross, Northbrook and Lytton, and such
Young Unionists as are represented by
Winston Churchill, Lord Hugh Cecil and
Ian Malcolm, to mention only the best
known names, cannot remain in the same
ministry as Mr.. Chamberlain.
Prime Minister Balfour still refuses TO
acknowledge that there is any new question
before the public, He merely admits
that an inquiry is being made into fiscal
matters The attitude Of the Govern
nent must indeed, with the present di-
vergence OF opinion in the Cabinet, be
strictly non-committal, because declara-
ton by one Minister would assuredly be
followed by disclaimer by another.
This position may be seen from the cor
respondence between Cnionist Member
and Sir Alexander Hood, the Government
whip. The former had been attacked in
the press as being in opposition to the
Government for saying that while he was
not opposed to an inquiry into fiscal matters
he was strongly opposed to the taxation OF
foodstuns The Member in question wrote
TO Sir Alexander asking whether that line
was Inconsistent with party allegiance.
The reply of the Government whip was:
Nothing in your speech is inconsistent
with party allegiance. The Government
is engaged in an inquiry and to such you
are not opposed The fact that you are
opposed to taxation of food does not carry
with it any imputation Of hostility to the
Government
Meanwhile the Free Trade Cnionist
Members of the House OF Commons are
complaining that their election agents
are receiving from Birmingham pamphlets
and leaflets advocating Mr.. Chamberlain's
proposal for distribution among their con-
stituents, although the Government has
not yet declared those proposals as part
Of their policy. This touches upon the
question now being discussed as to which
side will secure control Of the tnionist
machine with its funds and excellent or
RAnlZatOn