The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1909-12-29
PUB[|CAkS WILL
AND THE LORDS
Beerage Not Peerage the Gov.
ernment's Greatest Foe in
Coming Election
(By w. T. stead,)


London, Dec. 29.-How will the
general election go? That is the all
absorbing question this Christmas
tide in England The answer is that
| it would be certain to go for the
liberals but for that unknown X of
the situation-the publican. The land
lord of the tavern counts for far more
in the appeal to the country in Eng
land than the landlord of the land.
1t is the beerage and not the peerage
which will defeat the government, if
defeat 1t should sbaN 81
All the other elements OF success
are on the side of the liberals. The
publican and the brewer, the venders
of beer, and the dealers in whisky
are the real enemy, the only formida-
BILE foes; now threatening the minis
try with defeat. But for what is
known here as "the trade" it would
be walkOver for the government.
With that great and menacing excep-
ton, l do not remember any general
election in which the liberals had so
many advantages in their favor.
Liberal Ranks United.
The first elementary axiom of Brit
ish politics is that whenever the liber-
ais are united they are always able
to beat the conservatives. 1t is only
when mutiny and dissensions rage in
the liberal camp that their opponents
have even chance of success. The
immediate result of the action of the
peers has been to unity the ranks of
their opponents. If they had passed
the budget and allowed the ministers
another session in which to entangle
themselves hopelessly in the coils of
Welsh disestablishment. the dissen-
sion and discomfort of large sections
In the liberal army would have
brought about cO1iservato.J victory
AS things are. the Irish national
lists, who are ultramontane Catholics,
will vote as one man with the Eng
lish non-cOnformists against the house
of lords, which for hundreds of years
has been their constant and deadly
foe.
The other cleavage ~ the popular
ranks. that between the liberals and
the labor party, has been minimized
by the rejection of the budget. AL
though there Is no formal concordat
between the two parties. there is an
evident desire en- both sides to arrive
at amicable compromises on a give
and-tako principle. This probably
will save twenty seats to the liberals,
which would otherwise have been cap
tured by the opposition. Il is ad-
M Il by every me that the liberal
factions have been unifie' and con-
solidated into compact fighting
force.
Opposition Looks Southwark.
1t Is also a matter of common
knowledge that the opposition does
not expect to make any material In
road on the liberal strongholds of
Wales and Scotland or the nation-
alist preserve i'll Ireland. 1t Is gen.
orally believed that they do not esti-
mate their chavez highly in the north
of England. All their hopes are based
upon. what they can do in winning
seats in England south of the Hum
ber. 1t is here, il anywhere, that the
publicans will capture seats for The
peers.
Another great disadvantage under
which the conservatives are laboring
is the fact that their one and only
leader, Mr.. Balfour. is the present
out of the fight. Never was there
British statesman who had SO un-
fortunate and so incorrigible a ten
dency to get himself laid up with in
fluenza or bronchitis at the critical
moment when he can least be spared,
He has been laid I'M for a fortnight