The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-06-10
Crushing Defeat For the
 Secretary. > BALFOUR MAY RESIGN
House of Commons Spends a Most Exciting Day.
Only One Man, Mir. Chaplin Raises His Voice in Favor of the Bir- mingham Statesman's Scheme
 For a Tax on Bread.

London, June 9.-The rumored resigna- tion of Colonial Secretary Chamberlain Is the most startling development of the proposal of the Chancellor of the Ex- chequer. MT. Ritchie, to abolish the corn tax, the debate in which kept the House of Commons today packed and spelibound until midnight
 Even if Premier Balfour persuades Mir. Chamberlain to remain in the Cabinet, the Colonial secretary's preferential tar if program is hopelessly showed under and his influence as a political power in Great Britain at least is temporarily eclipsed.
 All the members of the government who contributed to today's debate vigorously frankly opposed MT. Chamberlain's pro- posals. Except for Mir Chaplin. not a voice on either side of the house was raised in effective support of Mir. Cham berlains campaign.
 Balfour Pleads With Cham bberlain. Former members of Cabinets and pri- Vate members, irrespective of party, pro- tested against any dickering with Great Britain's fiscal policy. The Unionists vied with the Liberals in declaring them selves out and out free traders. All that was lacking in the complete route of the protectionists' Cabinet Minister. was MT. Balfour's official procurement as Pre- 1nier. on behalf of the government, that the Cabinet as whole refused to adopt MT. Chamberlain's views. Both the pro- neuncement and the Premier were absent from the debate because, according to report, Mir Balfour was spending the evening endeavoring to persuade the Co lonial Secretary to remain in the Cabi- net notwithstanding his differences with his colleagues.
 The debate was adjourned at midnight when, amidst a sensation Chancellor oi the Exchequer Ritchie said he hoped MT Balfour would be able to give the House on Wednesday definite statement on be- / half of the entire Cabinet, though he could not promise it.
 Upon the resumption of the debate. MT. Chapln's amendment to the budget bill which is the cause of this sensational political crisis, will be taken up. Sir Henry Campbell Zimmerman has modified his position. probably as a result of to- days proceedings and will demand the right of the Liberals to know the Pre- mier's attitude towards free trade before they support him in the repeal of the corn tax.
 Chamberlain May Speak.
 Mir. Balfour will reply and MT. Cham berlain is also expected to speak There are many members who believe tonight that Premier Balfour will also resign and that dissolution of the House is involv ed, but these rumors lack confirmation, the best opinon being that solution of the crisis will be arrived at by MT. Cham berlains resignation or by an open decla- ration that he is willing to drop for the present his preferential tariff proposals.
 MT. Chaplin's amendment was scarcely made today before it became a secondary consideration, as its defeat was assured. Until midnight the fight. If such as unde- tended struggle could be so described, ragged around MT. Chamberlain.
 "Oil and vitrol" is the only adequate description of Sir Michael Hicks Beach's s speech, which started the revolt. Amid intense silence this famous Tory ex-Min- ister extolled the Colonial Secretary s virtues and damned his program.
 ''Black Michael" as he is familiarly called, was never seen to better advan- tage. The Ministers sat with troubled faces, MT. BaIfour looking especially de- jected. MT Chamberlain deserting his usual place. paler even than usual, stretched himself nonchalantly at the end of the Treasury bench Throughout the afternoon he never exchanged a word with his colleagues
 After MT. Ritchie had renounced the Colonial Secretary's ideas. MT. Chamber lain stalked out of the chamber without even a nod to MT. Balfour.
 Demands on Balfour
 Member after member rose from the Unionist ranks; some, who had supported MT. Chaplin, refused to ''eat their words, with which they had previously supported the government when the corn tax was originally brought in; others lauded Chancellor of the Exchequer Ritchie for his refusal to pander to the spirit of protection; all demanded that UaI ardI [ l,a governments view as a whole.
 Sir Henry Fowler (LiberaD in an ex- ceptionally able speech, dwelt on Pre- mier Balfour's duty to the nation t. as- certain in the opinion of his colleagues and let the House and the people know the cabinets decision regard a question which was so vital to the empire
 After the dinner recess the excitement was heightened by the absence of both the Colonial Secretary and the Premier. bitter attack on any tampering with free trade was made by Sir John Gorst (Conservative) who declared that a great portion of the rising generation in the United Kingdom was already so degen- crate and poverty stricken that anything tending to increase the price of food would threaten national disaster.
 James Brice LiberaD followed. declar- ing that the reference to the United States made by MT. Chamberlain and other speakers in support of the protec- tionist argument was quite erroneous as American prosperity was due greatly to the cheapness of food under a system by which free trade prevailed between all the great States composing the American nation.
 Would Disintegrate Empire.
 The Colonial Secretary's idea, said the speaker, would disintegrate the empire and produce a network of protective tar iffs such as that In which America was now enmeshed.
 Then came another sensation when the Honorable Arthur Elliot. the Financial Secretary of the Treasury replying on behalf of the government to MT. Brice g inquiry, made a bitter attack on protec- tionists and preferential tariffs. He de- clared that the financial policy of the government was clearly exhibited by its decision to revoke the corn tax which aavored of protection.
 ''I ask the House seriously to consider what this country has to gain by giving