The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-06-11
CHAMBERLAIN RESCUED.
PREMIER TO DEFENSE OF COLO-
 NAL SECRETARY.
BaIfour by DexterOus and ExtFaOr din- ary Speech SmoOihs Over Differences fin British Cabiuef-Governm Not Committed to Either Free Trade or Protection,

Committed to Either Free Trade or Protection.
 London, June 10.-By a dexterous and extraordinary speech, Premier Balfour tonight temporarily smoothed over the differences in the cabinet, relieved Col onial Secretary Chamberlain of any ne- cessity of resigning, and for the moment ayerted a crisis which threatened the Unionist party. This, MT. Balfour ac- complished without committing the government either to protection or free trade, though the effect of his speech will be taken to mean that the tariff issue is to be shelved for the present. Henry Chaplin's amendment, which gave rise to the most interesting de- bate of the present parliament, was de- feated by the overwhelming majority of 396 votes. composed of Unionists, Lib erals, Irish members, MT. Chaplins ad- herents and almost all the followers of the government, while many others of the Conservative party abstained from voting.
 It was half-past ten o'clock tonight when Premier Balfour sprang to his feet to reply to the taunts of the oppo- sition and appeals from his own party.
 For two days the House of Commons has rung with echoes of dissension within the cabinet and dissatisfaction without. The premier was loudly cheered. He had scarcely commenced to deal with MT. Chaplin's amendment before he was interrupted by a hurri- cane of applause and ironical cheers at the entry of MT. Chamberlain, who had been absent hitherto throughout the evening. The colonial secretary drop ped into his accustomed place. The House was now packed with peers, members of the House, and spectators as it has not been since the days of in tense expectation.
 In a whimsical vein, MT. Balfour ex- plained that the only reason that the corn tax was put on was because the government wanted money, and the only reason it was taken off was be- cause the government wanted money no longer. Reverting to the charges of vacillation made against him, the pre- rnier took on tone of unusual vehe- mence. He declared that he himself, though a believer in free trade (which statement met with loud applause) did not regard it as q fetish, and he had absolutely an open mind regarding the necessity for any alterations in a sys-i tenn which was founded to suit condi- tions of fifty years ago. He refused not only to make a statement of any final ity upon such, an important question, but he also refused to compel his col leagues to conform to standard of opinion upon which he himself had an open mind. He admitted that differ ences of opinion existed within the cab- inet but these were not serious enough to cause the resignation of any mem Der.
 MT. BaIfour made an impassioned plea, enforced by the precedents of fric- tion in MT. Gladstone's ministries, for allowing the premier to retain an open mind upon a question so difficult and so superior to all party issues. The speaker did not believe thas the coun- try would ever return to the old pro- teetive system and no tax on food was ever imposed without the full assent of the working classes.
 They. were confronted, however con- tinued the premier, by three great phe- nomena: Huge tariff walls against the United Kingdom; the growth of the trusts, and the desire of the colonies for closer fiscal union with the mother country.
 nI, foo ho icrn0rad He maintained that the method of starting public discussion was the on- ly way to deal with them, though he did not commit himself to Mir. Cham berlain's more advanced programme. It would be folly and rashness, he said, to interfere with the great system which had been in operation for so many years without the most careful examination and without due regard for history and the traditions of the past, while at the same time they could not ignore those new problems which the ever-changing face of industrial life presented for decision and the action of statesmen.
 This non-eommittal speech and ap- peal, made with all the eloquence and magnetism which MT. Balfour yields so successfully for an open mind not only in the cabinet, but in the Unionist party, brought constant salvo of cheers. Throughout, Mir. Chamberlain sat beside the leader of the House beaming with satisfaction. Sir Henry Campbell Zimmerman, the Liberal leader, briefly replied, appealing for an opportunity for the House to more fully discuss the issue raised. He said one member of the government was pre- pared to make 8 revolution in the country's fiscal system a question upon which the next general elections should be decided. This appeal elicited no re- sponse on the part of the government. The members os the House trooped in- to the lobby to vote against Henry Chaplin's amendment, the general com- ment being "Balfour has saved Cham berlain."
 The colonial secretary, himself jubi- lant, said: "Our friend the enemy is non-plussed this time."
 With the exception of some irrecon- cilable malcontents, the Unionist party is greatly relieved by the outcome of the debate, all the members expressing gladness that the crisis was passed though at the same time believing that the same cabinet could not long con-