The Paducah evening sun., 1910-01-05
THE ABLEST CHAMPION OF
BALFOURIAN POLICIES.
Laborites Grow In AuthOrity-De-
clare IL Liberals Are Honest,
They VIII Join Forces.
CURzoN SPECTACULAR FIGURE.

uudDdteu tHefRy, dfter Lne OuTlst-
mastide holiday. into the fierce po-
litical controversy. the leaders sum
mon their followers to the last on
set.
One week remains before the is
suance of the election writs will com
pei the lords to retire from the hust-
ings; and they mean to make the
most of the interval in justifying
their application of the referendum
principle to the budget.
Until now the peer who has cut
the best figure is Curzon lie has
taken a strong line. displayed a high
order of courage and proved the
ablest champion OF the Balfourian
policies after Balfour himself Should
the Unionists be returned TO power,
Curzon would be sure of a portfolio.
His discussion of the fiscal issue,
not surpassed on the Unionist side,
has revealed him in an unexpected
role-that of economist and finan-
.cier. In a Balfour cabinet he might
be chancellor of the exchequer.
though his preference would be the
foreign Office, a berth reserved to
Lansdowne.
Curzon's argument of the consti-
tutional issue-the question OF the
position of the lords in the legisla-
tive SYSTEMS the most ecective de-
fense yet offered in behalf of the
hereditary principle.
His fine voice, commanding gest-
ures and sincere manner, have made
an excellent impression. In the
main he has confined himself. when
retorting to opponents, 10 a trip
hammer use of statistics. Some of
the Unionists, however. think him
lacking in tact in answering Church
| Ill.
Predictions as to the outcome of
the polling next month are less
lsweeping than they were a fortnight
ago. Neither Unionists nor Liberals
prophesy anything like the figures
bandie about freely a month ago.
Talk of overwhelming majorities is
not to be heard in either camp.
One of the most Trustworthy pub
licists puts it:
"A majority of fifty either way is
an outside figure"
Lord Roseberry, in the middle
'9Os. said forty was a good working
majority IL II could be depended on /;
but in the extraordinary pass to
which British internal affairs have
come. wiseacres profess great doubt
of the ability OF either Asqulth or
Balfour to get ahead on the Rose
berry margin"
| Disappointment IL felt in Liberal
circles over the refusal of the Labor
candidates TO withdraw in a score or
so of constituencies With three
candidates in the field, IT will be the
Unionists rather than the Liberal OF
Daborite who will win.
But the LAbo- party insists that
its interests will be served best by
its own men: and the semi -Socialis-
tic wing listens to Victor Grayson.
when he says that labor IS opposed
to both the "capitalistic parties" and
should take warning from the fate
of the Irish, and maintain a distinct
Organization.
Let the Liberals withdraw their
men and vote for the labor candi-
dates" cries Grayson. "They will,
IL they are honest with labor"
Lsborites Gain Strength.
Arthur Henderson, Labor leader
in parliament, thinks the Labor dele
CATION will be increased and be al ,
to exact better terms of the next ad-
ministration.
Unionist ingenuity Is directed to
alarming the middle class and con-
lvincng the workingmen that the bud
get cannot possibly cure unemploy-
ment The brunt of the former task
falls on the Tory section, and that of
the latter on the Chamberlalnite.
Before the Social revolutiOnists
now attacking the constitution can
accomplish their purpose" says a
Balfourian organ. "they must con-
vince the great middle class that It
will be safe to let the camel thrust
its head inside the tent.
''Mr. Asquith has told the country
that II his party wins he will jam
through the budget, grant home rule,
disestablish the church in Wales
transfer the voluntary schools to the
state, extinguish liquor licenses un-
der a time limit without compensa-
ton, set up a system of state insur-
ance against sickness. infirmity and
Unemployment and gag the lords. All
this would be the camel's head. And
II the body followed. what them"
In the Chamberlain camp the feel
ing is not one of assured victory
From his sick room the Birmingham
statesman is sending letters to can
didates., and his sentences have the
old ring.
"Tell Manchester and Salford," he
writes to Ian Calcolm, that they
must make up their minds to adopt
tariff reform II they do not wish to
| fall out of the race with other coun-
tries"
But probably he Is reconciling him
self to the probability of another