The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-12-13
THE ENGLISH ELECTIONS
v.-THE TARIFF REFORM QUESTION
By FREDERIC Il H4SkIN

| votes, especially I'm the Industrial
parts of the Kingdom, because they
insisted upon making tariff reform
their chief issue.
After the January elections the diff
ference in opinion i'm the ranks OF the
Tory party with respect to the tarin
became more and more marked. The
Protectionists accused their party
leaders OF mkewarmness TO the tarin
and ascribed the party defeat TO the
cause. The free trade Tories accused
the protectionists OF letting the Radi-
Gals I'm because OF their pig-headed-
insistence upon most unpopular and
unnecessary political doctrine. Ii was
manifest that the protection propa-
ganda had split the Tory party in
twain, I'd Ii was In the hope OF unit
ing his followers upon the main issues
OF Toryism that Mr.. Balfour threw
over tariff reform as a parliamentary
issue by promising that even In the
event of ~ Unionist victory I'm tho
electionsvthe party would not regard
Its triumph as a mandate In favor or
protection, but that the question
| would be submitted at separate
election TO the judgment OF the vot-
ers of the Kingdom
Having thus cleverly rid himself or
his partys incubus, Mr.. Balfour at the
same time placed the Liberals In an
embarrassing situation by becoming
more democratic than any Radical
| Democrat England has ever known.
That is. in form. A referendum in
England would be revolutionary pro-
ceeding. since under responsible par
| liamentary government the people are
supposed to express themselves with
more or less directness in the cleo
ton OF their responsible representa-
tives. No one knows, of course. on
what terms the referendum would be
submitted, but 1t may be assumed
that resolution only. and not
specific statute. would be proposed.
and that only those electors qualified
to vote In parliamentary election
would have vote, That means that
more than million poor men could
not vote at all because they do not
possess the necessary qualifications
| concerning the use or ownership or
property, and il also means that many
rich men could vote two. three. four
or perhaps "A score Of times, on the
same question. 1t Is odd that the
party which has refused time and
! again 10 abolish plural voting, and To
establish manhood suffrage, should
come forward as the advocate OF the
direct referendum. But oddities
abound in British politics. as well a.
| in politics of other countries.
While the great part OF the Union
list following undoubtedly applauded
Mr.. Balfour's adroitness in shifting
the tariff issue. there were two sec
tons I'm the Unionist organization
which bitterly resented his action.
They were the utra-protection party.
and the ultra-Tory faction. The pro-
tectionists. as represented In their
leading journals. complained that.
they had been abandoned. making the
argument that the Unionist party had
three times campaigned the country
in the interests of tarin reform. and
that II IL was now returned to power
its mandate for protection would be
sufficiently clear and decided. The
ultra-Tories, although too frightened
for for the safety Of their institutions
TO say very much. were shocked by
the bold endorsement of the principle
OF the referendum, dangerous
democratic device which might IN
after years return TO plague them.
SO, when the campaign was well UNI
der way, il was evident that the Un-
ionists could not win by reason OF
their own strength, and that their only
hope was In the factionalism OF the
ministerial coalition.
In January the Tories made much
OF imperial defense and used the Ger
man war scare as bogie TO frighten
people into voting against the Liberal
government. Tory speakers on the
stump went SO far as TO say that 4
Liberal victory would mean immediate
war with Germany, an invasion OF Eng
land. and irreparable disaster to the
Empire. The majority of the electors
OF England demonstrated that they
had too much good common sense to
be influenced by such methods OF cleo
tioneering The ministry convinced
them that II was both willing and able
to undertake every reasonable ex-
pense and effort to provide for nation
al and imperial defense.
The Tories in the present campaign
said practically nothing at all along
this line, but were markedly embar-
assed by some of their own newspa-
pers which continued to advocate uni
yersal compulsory military service
The real significance of the referen-
DUN as a prosecuting issue in the
present campaign was not that any
party in England had advanced thus
far toward pure democracy. but that
the Tory party thought 1t wiser TO
stand before the people for Toryism
pure and simple without the compiled
tons OF more or less unpopular fis-
cal policy to defend.
| OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES ard nApoa-
gogues.