The sun., 1903-10-06
BLOW TO BRITISH PREMIER.
DIXIE or DEVONSHIRE QUITS AS
NEW CABINET rs FORMED.
shsrp Letters Of Criticism Exchanged
Alfred Lyttleton Now Colonial sec-
re,ary-Arnold-Fcr Goes to War
0r,ce-Drodrick Seer etary for India.

Alfred LyttletOn New Colonial Sec
7e,ary-Arnold.Fer Goes to War
Ofr,ce-Drodrick Seer etary for India.
Special Gable Despatche, TO THs SUN.
LONDON Oct. Sit was officially an
nounced this evening that the Duke Of
Deyor nfe President Of the Council, had
resigned his office. The following Cabinet
appointments have been made:
Austen Chamberlain, son Of the ex-
Colonial Secretary. Chancellor Of the Ex-
oheauer, in succession to the Right Hon.
c. 7. Richie, resigned; the Hon. Alfred
Lyttelton, Member Of Parliament for War;
wick and bennington, Secretary for the
Colonies, vice Mr.. Joseph Chamberlain,
resigned; H. o. Arnold-Forster, who has
been Financial Secretary to the Admiralty.
Secretary of State for War, vice the Right
Hon. William St. John Brodrick, who be-
comes Secretary Of State for India in sue
cession to Lord George Hamilton, resigned;
the Right Hon. Andrew Graham Murray,
who has been Lord Advocate Of Scotland.
Chief Secretary for Scotland, vice Lord
Balfour OF Burleigh, resigned, and Lord
Edward Stanley, who has been Financial
Secretary OF the War ONCE, Postmaster
General, in succession to Austen Cham
berlain.
The resignation Of the Duke Of Devon
shire came as surprise to Prime Minister
Balfour, and, as the correspondence now
published shows, greatly annoyed him.
The Dukes decision was taken as the re-
suit Of MIR. Balfour's speech at Sheffield, !,
regarding which the Duke wrote to Mr..
Bafo,r last Friday expressing the opinion
that he went far beyond the necessities Of
the case In making a declaration in favor
oftaxation for other purposes than revenue
the basis of & great announcement Of policy.
The Duke added:
1T was unnecessary for the purpose Of
the statement to which I had assented to
assert that the controversy OF 1S48. which
you describe as a great lawsuit between
free trade and protection. is Of no interest
whatever except from an historical point
Of view. Nor can think it was necessary
to assert that you desired to reverse the
fiscal tradition which has prevailed for the
last two generations. had hoped to have
found In your speech definite statement
OF adherence to the principles Of free trade
a. the ordinary basis of our fiscal and COM
mercial system and an equally definite
population of the principle Of protection
In the interests Of our national industries. ="
The Duke, after some further remarks
in regard to his attitude on free trade, ar
rives at the conclusion that there is no such
agreement between himself and Mr.. Bal
four on the general question as would on
able him to I've a satisfactory exponent Of
the views of the Prime Minister and the
Government in the debates that will be in
evitable at the next session of Parliament.
Therefore he resigns. expressing sympathy
with the Government In other matters OF
policy and the anxiety with which he an
tcipates the wide division in the Unionist
party which he fears will follow tho unex-
pected scope and strength OF the Prime
Minister'S declarations.
Mr.. Balfour replying from Scotland to
the Dukes letter, expresses the greatest
surprise at his resignation and the reasons
given therefor. He reminds the Duke
that after much confidential correspondence
and intimate conversation he decided to
remain in the Government and adds: A
decision arrived at after these prelimi-
naries had right to consider final"
The Prime Minister says that he ac-
cordingly consulted with the Duke about
filing vacancies in the Cabinet the latter
expressing weighty Judgment on the sub
ject and initiating some proposals.
Mr. Balfour refers to the Dukes new de-
cison as a singular transformation and
regards as strange, indeed, the reason given
for it He conter ds that there IVES nothing
In his Sheffield speech that was not
in his pamphlet and his letter TO Mr.. Cham
berlain, with both Of which the Duke was
Intimately acquainted during the fortnight
he remained in the Government after the
recent resigrat ions. Continuing he says:
II must suppose. therefore, it is some un-
intent ional discrepancy bet ween the writ
ten and spoken word that now drives you
to desert the lminist ration that you have
80 long adorned
Admitting that such unintentional dis
crepancics are hard to avoid Mr. Balfour
adds; "But after all. what and where is
this discrepancy which forced you in SO
unexpected fashion to reverse con-
sEered policy? l do not believe it exists,
and if any other man in the world but your
self had expended so much inquisitorial
subtlety in detecting msgnary heresies
! should have surmised that ho was more
anxious to pick a quarrel than particular
as to the suffciency OF it's occasion. To
you. fortunately, no such suspicion can
attach yet am unreasonable in thinking
that your resignation gives me some just
occasion Of complaint, and, perhaps, some
occasion Of special regret to yourself?
you fear my Sheffield speech will ag-
gravate the party division. II there is
Of policy then made produced and Ia des-
tined to still produce greater harmony OF
opinion than has prevailed in the party
since the fiscal question came to the front
six months ago. Had you resigned on
Sept. Is or not resigned at all this healing
eject would have suffered no interruption.
10 resign now and to resign on the speech
s to take tho course most calculated to
make yet harder the task Of peacemaker.
DO you feel special regret at having at
this particular juncture 10 sever your con-
nection with Unionist administ ration?
doubtless there was no maginable occa-
sion on which you could have left one with
out inflicting upon it serious loss. At the
moment Of its most buoyant prosperity
your absence from its councils would have
been sensibly felt; but you have, in fact
left 1t when, in the opinion Of our oppo-
nents. It's fortunes are at tn cir lowest and
It's perplexities at their greatest.
ut NAV be however that YOU are spared