New-York tribune., 1908-07-26
TACTICIAN'S HASTE
Wr. 4squith's Brilliant ManruUres
and Bad Strategy.

tics. This may not be decisive test OF either
leadership,or craftsmanship. Mr. Balfour was
brilliant tactician when he at the Treasury
His subtle mind was fascinated by the idea that
everything could be done by sheer dexterity;
but when the general elections were held IL was
discovered that the country was weary OF clever
manoeuvres and tactical displays and bent upon
having more earnestness and consistency in oil
tics and more constructive reform in legislation.
Mr. Asquith may have similar experience in
reserve for him when the electorate is allowed TO
pass Judgment on the practical results of Lib
eraI administration: but. meanwhile. he has
changed front in the face of the Opposition.
taken up commanding position in relation to
the Lords and conducted every party u1anoeuvre
with practical intelligence and amazing cool
ness Mr. Balfour has found his match in
cleverness and versatility.
When Mr. Asquith reorganized the Cabinet.
issue had been joined with the upper house on
two Scottish measures in which the country
not deeply interested; the education bill had
been revived in a form which rendered second
rejection Inevitable; and the licensing bill was
fresh challenge to the Lords to spring to the
defence of vested property interests The Lib
eraI government was attacking the stronghold
of privilege from low ground where there were
no advantages of position, and. since there was
no evidence in by-eIections that the moral force
of public opinion behind .inisters, the
Lords could safely offer determined resistance
to all these measures. Mr.. Asquith without CIV
ing the signal for retreat from any outwork has
reformed his line and taken up an advanced po-
sition where his forces cannot be disIodged. He
has made old age pensions the legislative issue
of supreme importance and left the government
in an inpregnable position. It is finance bill
involving the expenditure Of public money, and
precedent DEGREES that the Lords cannot refuse
to sanction it. II they venture upon so haz-
ardous undertaking the government ran
withhold all supplies. upset the financial admin
fstration and create an irnpasse which would ef-
fectually discred1t the Lords.
Instead OF holding up all the principal gov
ernment measures and making 1t impossible for
the Prime Minister TO override the veto. the
Lords are now maneuvred into position where
they cannot obstruct old age pensions although
public interests require their intervention, at
least, in the form of suspensfve veto They
must sanction the scheme, although there is a
prima facie case for hanging it up until the re-
port Of the poor law commission can be pre-
sented and there is adequate information for en-
larging the present system OF outdoor relief at
heavy cost TO taxpayers. They will not be justi-
fed in Withholding consent TO the Irish Univer
sity scheme. the Port of London bill. the Hous
ing measure the ChiIdren's bill and other un-
controversial measures. IN THIS way Whatever
happens to the licensing BILL and whether the
education bill is compromised or not, Mr..
Asquith's first session as Prime Minister will be
conspicuous for legislative industry. Old age
pensions which the Tariff Reformers have been
eager to finance in their way, will have been
brought in under Free Trade and series OF
important measures enacted. The government
will be released from the necessity of appealing
to the country the licensing and education
bills and be justified in remaining in Office for
the purpose of adapting the poor law admins
tration TO the pension system and of producing a
reform bill based on manhood suffrage its
final work.
The tactics by which these changes in the re-
lations of the two houses have been effected
have been mastery. The Liberals. instead OF
running away from their responsibilities for the
Scottish bills education under public control
and temperance reform with the closure OF one
third OF the public houses. will have outmanoeu-
vred Tariff Reforners and the Lords and rallied
the progressive democracy on the high ground of
State Socialism. Only a brilliant leader who
knew his own mind and what could be done by
dexterous management could have rearranged
the plan of campaign so rapidly and have placed
the House of Lords the defensive when it
had all the advantages of position The trans
formation has been so abrupt that sluggish Con-
servatives hardly realize what has happened.
Some of the most impracticabIe among them are
urging the Lords either 10 amend the pension
scheme so as to engraft upon it the German con-
trbutory idea or ito defer action upon 1t until
the whole subject can be exhausttvely explored
and a scientific system constructed. If their ad-
vice be followed, the Prime Minister will be
heavily reinforced by the working masses in his
campaign against the Lords. Mr. Balfour has
been too wary to offer resistance to the meas
it l. 1o1-I,- mus r1r0r
in operation. Lord Lansdowne and his col
leagues are likely to be equally cautious
The tactics have been admirable from the
point of view of an aggressive, ambitious party
leader The strategy is not equally clear since
the country has been committed to a costly sys-
tenn of public charity. for which there are no
financial reserves in sight, and the Liberal gov
ernment will be held accountable if expenditures
now estimated at seven millions sterling are
rapidly enlarged to thirty millions The states
r1anship is even dubious, for the practice
Of thrift is as great a moral obligation as the
administration of charity, and the most detri-
mental and dernoraiizing effects are TO be appre-
hended from a hastily improvised scheme OF
providing for superannuated pensioners, which
has no. been carefully thought out in every de-
tail and tested by the experience Of other coun-
tries What is apparent from the text Of the
amended measure and from the debates in Par
lament is the lack OF thoroughness and scien-
1ff7c preparation for so n1omentous change in
national policy Nobody has gone beneath the
surface of this social reform. An opportunity
for constructive legislation and statesmanlike
action mas been frittered away.
Pensions for the aged poor were advocated
by Edmund Burke four generations ago Scores
of pamphlets and books have been written on
the subject. and Parliamentary commissions