Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1908-04-09
PREMIER RESIGNS
SIR HENRY CAMPBELL-BANNER-
MANS ILLNESS CAUSE.
ASQUITH FOR HIGH POST
Impossible to Combine All the Con-
fIicting Elements in Present
Government.

London, April Cit was officially
announced last night that the king
has accepted the resignation of Sir
Henry Campbell Bannerman, the Bri.
fish prime minister. Sir Henry's
condition remains unchanged, accord
ing to the physicians bulletin posted
yesterday. The king in telegraphing
his acceptance of the premier's resi-.
gnation, conveyed an EXPRESSION OF
his esteem, with best wishes for Sir
Henry's recovery.
No further official announcement
with regard to cabinet changes has
been made, but the king has sum-
moned Herbert H. Asquith, chancellor
to the exchequer, and the latter will
start for Biarritz, where the king is
sojourning, probably this afternoon.
The chancellor who has been acting
premier in place of Sir Henry Camp
bell-Bannerman, called a meeting of
the cabinet yesterday morning to SUBJ
NIT the premier's resignation and dis
cuss the course of business.
The resignation of Sir Henry Camp
bell-Bannerman, the former liberal
prime minister of England since Lord
Roseberry gave up Office 1885, has
its dramatic phase for, as he passes
from the stage the mixed forces
which he held together as a party ap-
pear also to be reaching the end Of
political power. The Bannerman
government, it has been stated, COM
bined too many factions and too
many fads; all the elements of OPP
position to conversation and of dis
content united to make common cause
against the old government and when
Joined together in an administration a
working team of home rulers,
laborites, socialists, liberal imperial
lists and little Englanders'' was
found nigh impossible, but 1t speaks
much for Bannerman's leadership
that the disintegration of his party
has gone on so much more swiftly
since the attack of heart trouble,
which occurred last fall in Bristol,
where he had gone to make poll
tical speech, removed him from the
possibility of active leadership.
Sir Henry was not only the leader
of the house of commons, but also
its father, for he represented Stir
ling without interruption ever since
he entered the house in 1868 at the
age Of 81. Throughout his political
life he Las been consistent and
staunch advocate of radicalism and
his political faith has never wavered.
Great Britain is in a peculiar posi-
ton, being without either premier or
minister The long expected resig-
nation of Sir Henry Campbell-Ban-
~ i,ic
officially announced.
According to the court circular, he
resigned on the urgent recommends
ton of his medical advisers. AS the
constitution provides no automatic
successor, it resting with the king to
choose a new head of the govern
ment, and in accordance with custom
and precedent the whole cabinet re-
signs with the premier, no step to ap-
point ministry can be taken until
Herbert H. Asquith, the chancellor OF
the exchequer, who has been sum-
moned to Biarritz for the purpose,
has seen the king.
The position of the country is quite
unprecedented, there being no pre-
vious example Of change occurring
in the premiership while the sover-
eign was abroad. On this account
the course of procedure to be followed
is in some doubt.
Mr. Asquiths accession to the pre-
miership will be well received by all
sections of his party, with the pos
sible exception of the extreme radl-
cal and labor men, who are inclined
to see in his imperialistic views no
Endorsement of their aspirations for
socialistic reforms.