Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-30
Balfour's Speech Accepting
Referendum Stirs Voters, !
GIVES PLEDGE ON TARIFF
Demands That Liberals Do the Sama
On Home Rule IssuA 4
IRISH TALK OF THE SWORD
Ministers Sign Address, Declarinn
They VIII Never Submit 70 q !;
Parliament In Dublin.

LONDON, November So-The aocepes
ance by A. J. Balfour. leader OF the
opposition in the house Of commons. Of
the policy Of the referendum In the case
Of tariff reform has given tho campaign
a new complexion. In q political address
In Albert Hall last night Mr.. Balfour ana
nounced that In the event OF victory Ia
the approaching elections he would be
willing TO submit tho question Of tari6 re,
form to q referendum.
The declaration Of the uniouist leader
is received with great enthusiasm by the
bulk Of the party, who believe that Il
will help to win votes in the north, where
protection has not made the same head
way as elsewhere. 1t also PAGES the
extreme radicals in a quandary. as here.
tofore the principle Of the referendum has
been a plank in their plato.
A few ardent tariff reformers arc op-
posed to the proposition, but they prob
ably will accept the situation. as Joseph
Chamberlain. who is encouraging his fol-
lowers through letters from the SICK room,
has been urging them to concenti ale their
efforts upon the matter o1 home rule and
the constitutional questi,cS involving the
house OF lords, to wni.hfthe contest IL
now narrowed down and over which tho
parties q. Q carrying on the hardest kind
Of fight.
Voting Begins Saturday.
The results which will have been de.
clared by Saturday night should provide
a fair indication OF the outcome. At least
100 members, Of whom sixty are unionists,
will be elected without contest Saturday
will see polling for forty-five seats sc
far as now arranged. OF these twenty.
five are at present held by libera.s. Amons
them are the Manchester constituencies,
which the unionists are making every ef
fort to capture. Should they succeed the
effect upon the rest Of the country will be
important.
In Ireland, where the voting will take
place later, the nationalists are renom.
mating the present members. Shane Les.
donderry city. which was lost to the union.
lists by few votes in January. Ths
O'Brienites are receiving the financial
support Of the moderates. who considel
John Redmond's plans impossible, and
threats Of violence and bloodshed IL the
existing government for Ireland Il
changed. They have more candidates :.
than in the last elections. Donald Mac
Master, unionist, Is given q walk-ovor IN
Suei tScy ulSlSlOu VI SuIIcys
Pledge Given by Balfour.
Mr.. Balfour in his address last night
gave a pledge that II the unionist party
was returned to power at the coming
elections 1t would not adopt tariff until
the question had been submitted to the
electors of the United Kingdom by q spe-
cial referendum. The significance OF this
pledge was instantly recognized by the
vast Albert Hall audience They rose TO
their feet in frenzy Of enthusiasm. and
cheered for minutes with giee; IKE school,
boys given an unexpected holiday.
Mr.. Balfour's statement was as follows:
without question tariff reform Is a
great change. admit this election can"
not be described as being upon tariff re"
lection to submitting the principles OF the
tariff reform to a referendum. why
should I object? Is the tarin reform
project taxation in the interests or mol
viduals or classes? If tarih reform Is
anything, it Is q great national and I'M
perial policy, and / am perfectly wiling
to submit it to the judgment Of the coun-
try"
Mr.. Balfour then appealed to his OPP
ponrnts to do the same regarding nome
rule. saving: 1T seems to me they ought
az once to respond with the generosity
vt honorable combatants. and say: Well,
you have consented that the princlp.es OF
the tariff reform shall be made The sub
ject Of referendum. We agree II you
do that home rule shall also be made
the subject OF referendum.
Unionists Defy Home Rulers.
The Irish unionists sent a message OF
defiance of home rulers to Mr.. Balfours
meeting, and populations from the Nom
Conformist Unionist Association of Eng
land and 600 ministers Of nom Episcopal
churches in Ireland have addressed Mr.
Balfour in opposition to home rule. The
reading Of the message from the Irish
unionists at Albert Hall caused much EN-
thusiasm.
I'VE now declare that home rule VIII
bring Ireland not peace, but the SWORD.
II an Irish parliament is set up the
unioniSts of the south, allied with the
authority. They VIII neither obey its
DEGREES nor pay its taxes.
Mr.. Balfour pronounced strongly IN
favor Of the referendum as the best
method Of settling deadlocks between the
two houses without requiring the reform
of the house Of lords, and 1t could be
carried into effect before the house of
lords was reformed. This he declared
to be Lansdowne's plan. The cost or a
referendum. he said. would be nearer
erals-$1O 100000.
Denounces American Dollars.
Mr.. Balfour denied that the veto con.
ference had been broken up by the un!
yielding attitude Of the lords. He as
serted that the government was threat.
ening q revolution. based on the wants
of one particular section. who boasted
that they had not yielded an inch from
the position Of Parnell. He concluded by
declaring that the cabinet was governed
by its noisiest members. who were gov
erned by John Redmond, who was gov
erned by Patrick Ford.
Don't trust the puppets who are per-
forming their parts the STAGE adj
monished Mr.. Bal our. Don't trust the
Irish wire-nuller. Don't trust the Amer