The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1906-02-16
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Turn OF the Tide In England.

1t Is said of a good general tnat ne
knows when lie is licked" in distinction
from bad one, who fights till lac Is
searching eyes Of the late Premier Bal
four of England that he can read the
signs Of the times and bow gracefully
TO the peoples will even before its voice
has Numbered at the polls. Balfour's
resignation ends Il period of nearly two
decades Of Conservative supremacy. ia
which uncle and nephew, Lord Sails
bury and Mr.. Balfour, have guided
English affairs. During that period
great changes, both internal and eX-
ternal, have taken place. At home the
Irish land question has been settled
by peasant purchase, the county and
parish administrations Of England
have obtained home rule, London,
very important factor in domestic ar
fairs, put under new government and
the church given preponderance in the
control of public education.
Abroad Africa has been partitioned,
the Boer war fought, the Sudan con-
quered and 100000 square miles OF
territory brought under the British flag.
all outstanding issues between Eng
land and the United States and France
happily settled and an alliance, ohen-
sive and defensive, concluded with ia
OF
has been swayed largely by foreign
interests rather than by the solution
of social questions. 1t is plainly evil
dent that the pendulum must soon
swing in the other direction and so
eial, economic and administrative is
sues come to the fore.
AS far as the law and constitution of
England are concerned, there is no
such thing as prime minister" and nc
such thing as a cabinet" The pre-
mier is a statesman of force, repre-
senting policy believed to be broader
than that of a party merely and which
will win the support practically of the
whole country. The party which has
been dominant during the ministries
of Lord Salisbury and Balfour has been
Unionist rather than Conservative.
using Conservative in the sense Of OPP
posed to liberalism. In other words,
Englishmen subordinated all other in
terests in opposing what they called
Acknowledgement of the empire" The
subsequent development of imperial
policy has been followed by a gradual
revival of Liberalism, and many Lib
eral- Unionists have returned to their
former party allegiance.
Gradually during recent years the
bond that held together the wings OF
the Unionist party has weakened, new
issues have grown in Importance, diff
ferent alignment of forces is called
for, and Balfour, too liberal to be q
Tory renctionary and too conservative
to go the whole length of Liberalism,
was compelled to step down. The
Liberal party, once intrenched In pow
er, can make no serious change In Eng
lands foreign policy of recent years.
The voters of England are sharply di-
yided upon the fiscal" questions agl-
tated by Chamberlain and if there were
no other issue would be strongly Lib
eral on test But there remains Ire
land, and the Liberal party, if sustain
ed at the polls, will endeavor to give
that country some home rule, reform
which is held in great dread by the
more conservative elements. 1t prom
ises also to revise and reform the con-
troll of education as the Balfour minis
try has left it, to add to the taxation
of land, to reorganize the army and
navy and to deal humanely with the
mighty problems of the submerged
tenth" of England. The spokesman OF
that party, Sir Henry Campbell-Ban-
herman, recently outlined the policy
dear to himself and his supporters and.
while it traverses a wide range of re-
forms and adjustments, may be sum-
med up as a ringing promise of govern
ment "for the people"