New-York tribune., 1910-01-09
UNl0NIS1S MAYGAIN
LIBER4L PLANS SCARE
MODER4TES.
Fear a Victory for Government
Moy Bring on a Long
Struggle.
81 French Cable to The Tribun. J

Sr French Gable 70 The lrlpGre.
London. Jan. S.-Canvassing was con-
Quoted with great zeal this afternoon in
London and the provincial borougf1s, as
z Is the last hah-hoiiday before the
opening Of the polling. The evening
meetings were less important.
Austen Chamberlain, representing the
Cnionists. with the help Of two dukes
and nine other peers, and subsequently
David Lloyd George. addressed big as
sernblages at Plymouth.
Winston Churchill. satisfied that Dun
See Is a safe seat will invade Birrning
ham on Monday and speak every night
during the week in England or Scotland.
His unauthorized programme now in
cludes the naturalization OF railways
snd the payment of members of the
House OF Commons. as well as insur-
ance schemes against sickness and un-
employment.
Premier Asquith and A. }. Balfour VIII
speak several times before the polling
ends, and every inch Of ground will be
strenuously fought. II is not improbable
that several Cabinet changes will be an
nounced on Monday when the writs are
issued for the new Parliament. There
VIII be a vacancy in the Home Office and
there may he other transfers and pro-
motions. By-elections can be avoided if
changes are made at once.
There is buoyant confidence on both
sides. Shrewd politicians consider the
result, extremely doubtful and decline TO
risk any money upon il.
APPARENT UNIONIsT GAIN.
Trade returns have favored the Lib
erals. and the naval scare has been
boomerang for the Unionists. but Mr..
Balfour has cleverly contrived TO trans
form the constitutional issue into a
question Of having two chambers or one.
The pressure If the Tnoneyed interests,
those owning landed properties and
brewery shares. together with the usual
Conservative prejudice. is tremendous.
Moderate men are frightened and are
drawn aWaE from the Liberal side. A
victory. for the government will mark
the beginning Of a prolonged struggle
between the houses. for the ministers
have announced that they will not be
content with the passage of the budget
hut intend 10 have power Joined with
responsibility or they will have neither
Tho only apparent measure for consti-
t.Itional use in securing the substitu-
ZION Of the suspensive for the absolute
veto is 70 create peers. and that Is clear
ly inpracticable
AIDS TO TORYISM.
Revolutionary processes are appre-
tended, and the dread of an ernbttered
controversy. together with antipathy 70
Home Rule, increased the inertia of vot-
ers and IS helping Toryism. The tariff
reformers have also converted thousands
Of free traders since 1906
On the other hand. social reforms have
attracted the ardent support of organ
ized labor, and, despite forty or more
three-cornered contests. there is close
coalition between the two hosts of the
progressive democracy
Without doubt the TniOnist prospects
nave improved during the last fortnight
end the Liberal campaign managers are
more anxious than they We're.
Yet some Of the sanest tariff reformers
tell me that they will be satisfied with
a government majority of thirty or forty.
followed. as they think il will be. by the
rejection Of Home Rule by the Lords
and another general election next year.
The fatuous attempt Of Sir Charles
Walpole TO drag the American Ambassa-
dor into the Chertsey election attracts
10 attention. The ambassadors letter
on conditions OF American labor. writ
ten more than a year ago, was published
IN The London Times Of December %
1905. and the blindest partisan could not
venture to suggest that il was designed
for electioneering purposes or WAS any
thing more than a courteous reply 10 a
correspondence inquiry. The Tnionist
candidate Tor Chertsey is Donald Mac
Master, Canadian barrister.
J. y. I.