The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-02-17
 MIR. BALFOUR IS ATTACKED
  ASQuith Filings Taunt At English Government. AMENDMENT IS DEFEATED No Prospects of Parlirment's Dissolution. Clash of cont-nding Fastaon. h tAe House of COmmens-BriIiiant speech Delivered by Lora
 Hugh Cecil.
 
AMENDMENT IS DEFEATED


 from the throne was defeated In tls House of Commons tonight by Q xufe of S11 to PAS. The amendment. de- claring that various aspects of tho fiscal questions have been fully dis cussed in the country for nearly two years and that the time has come for submitting the question to the people without further delay" was debated throughout todays session of the H0uae of Commons.
 No particular interest was aroused until within an hour of the time for division. when Sir Henry Campheli- Zimmerman spoke at some lengths at- lacking Premier Balfour and charging that he was afraid to face the House of Commons or the country with delfn- ite statement of his position with re~ gard to Mir. Chamherlainss program. The speaker challenged Mr. BalfOur to appeal to the country and taunted the Government with nlibustering in order to gain time and delay inevitable de- feat
 Mr. BaIfour replied. but did not af- ford tho opposition the satisfaction of any lengthy explanation of his opinion of Mir. Chamberlnin's policy. He said that the discussion if prolonged might possibly dispel sorne fallacies c0ncern- Ing his views and certainly discussien
 
 future fiscal policy is already having m effect on the attitude of other na- fions
 During the last hours of the deuate the galleries were crowded and as division time approached the interest increased as this was regarded as . supreme test of the governments strength and standard by which could bs measured the probable dufa- ton of the present parliament.
 PmxAinment VIII Hold.
 The majority of aixty-three by which Nr. Asauith's amendment to the reply to tho speech from tho throne was rejected by the Houee ot con4 mons last uiRht "a regarded as gtxinN the government the first move iu kte political game and as nnaliy disposing of any present prospect of dtsaolution of parliament.
 The real event of the nights debate was the brilliant speech delivered by Lord Hugh Ceyil. which Is admitted both by friends and opponents to have been his finest oratorlcal effort and one of the best speeches delivered In the House of Commons since the Clad stone-Salisbnry period and as placing Lord Hugh Cecil in the forefront of possible leaders of the Conservative party. Lord Hugh Cecil is the leader of the Conservative free traders and the Liberals had placed their hopes in him to turn out the government. He disilIusioned them by contending that the free trade cause would gain by keeping the present government in of flee still longer and whiist he merci- lessly pulled to pieces his cousin. Bal four's ambiguous attitude on fiscal questions. he declined to vote for the Asquith amendment. The majority Of Conservative free traders will follow Lord Hugh Cecil's lead, and apart from the possibility of some unexpected snap division. the governments position is considered safe.
 The scene during Lord Hugh Cecirs speech was somewhat curious and Was intensified by his peculiar habit of nervous gesture and physical charac- teristics, recalling the appearance oe his father. the late Lord Salisbury at the same age. Only couple of yards separated him from Premier BaIfouEs sitting alone on the Treasury bench.
 'Tt is the business of a Premier to make himself understood" said his lordship, If he confesses that he has not been understood, then he throws up the sponge"
 Free Traders winnsBg.
 Then he laughingly added that if Mir .Balfour would give him an office without portfolio he would undertake to make his policy perfectly clear to the whole country. He feared. how ever. that his own ministerial career though sensational. would be brief and that the government would soon he defeated. In conclusion Lord Hugh Cecil declared that the free traders were winning all along the line He had no intention, he said, of leavinp the Conservative party. The Conserv- ative free traders were the inheritera of true conservative traditions.
 "In time." the speaker said. you will forget your bad economies. Tho future is with us. It is needless that we secede from the party. Why should be symDolize mental stability by an act of physical motionf'
 This speech practically concluded the debate, and members trooped out to the Hobbies discussing it with admira- tion. Sir Henry Campbell-BAnnermap and Premier Balfour spoke afterwards but without any striking effect Mr. Balfour referred to dissolution as com ing 'In the fpllness of time.'