New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-02-13
CHAOS In POLITICS
Mr.. !4SQUITH'S HOPE
OF HOLDING POWER.
Liberal Press Urging Drastic
Measwcs-Danger from
Irish Factions.
fBv Gable to The Tribure.I

Tondon. Feb. 12-Chaos as the best
word for the political situation as 1t Is
rnirrored daily in the newspapers The
writers on the Conservative side eXaS-
vora+e the evidences Of discord in the
Cabinet itself and in the Nationalist and
Labor factions on which the govern
ment must depend for trustworthy
coalition majority. They easily con-
vince themselves that Premier Asqulths
downfall is inevitable in the course OF a
few weeks that both the budget and the
veto hill viii fail. and that the restora-
ton Of A J. Balfour TO power is indis-
pensable if the disordered finances are
10 he Strengthened out this year. THESE
elastic conclusions are based on the COS
sin that some ministers are invited 10
certain dinner parties and others are
left out. and on the clustering declara-
lions Of Keir Hardie and John Redmond
that thei Labor and Irish factions must
have their way respecting the abolition
Of the House of Lords and the postpone
ment of the budget until the veto ques-
ton is settled or they viii not be re
sponSibIe for the consequences.
The editors Of the Liberal press have
throwing the weight OF their influence
in fav-or Of the drastic methods which
David Lloyd-GeoTge advocates An eN-
certion is Alfred Spender, who has con-
verted -'The Westminster Gazette" into
= semi-official- government organ ana
has argued against extreme courses
with persuasive power. Robert Donald
has KEPT The Daily Chronicle neutral
without an. q batement Of Radical feel
ing II. ". Massngham, the editor OF
The Nation seconded by Alfred q.
Gardiner Of The Daily News" and
Charles Prestwich Scott. the governing
director of The Manchester Guardian
has taken a line in accord with the
views Of the two Hotspurs. Messrs.
I.iovd-Cieorge and Churchill. The DELHI
crate attempt Of these journals TO force
the Prime Minister 10 adopt the tactics
of the forwards has created the i'm
preston that the Cabinet is rent asun-
Ger with fractional feuds.
order will be brought out OF chaos
when the Cabinet is reconstructed and
the newspapers Of both parties deal with
the Kings speech. the actual debates
and the revenue difficulties instead of
inventing complications and repeating
the surnises Of irresponsible rumor
Tnonsers. The Prime Minister, sup
rorted by the entire Cabinet. Will ar
range the order of procedure. and
after proving that he is master Of his
own house viii direct the coalition ma
iority as though it were his property
rather than the Chancellors, or Kerr
Hardie's, or Mr.. Redmond's, or Mr..
O'Brien's That is the forecast made by
the moderate men on both sides. who
expect the government to carry the
budget and extricate the Treasury from
serious embarrassment.
The risks Of sudden downfall are
great when there is a furious quarrel
between Messrs. 0'Brien and Redmond,
and each is bent on convincing the Irish
1-eople that he is against the govern
nlent sin. the Prime Minister has
potent resource in the fact that the fac
III tons are without money and are not
y prepared for another election, and while
the Lab and Nationalist leaders can
defeat him at their own discretion he
also holds the whip hand over them. If
he escares he viii owe his deliverance
from the imminent perils to their dread
Of premature elections when their treas
uries arc empty rather than 20 the
patriotism ana nlagnanimity OF the
Jnionists. There are Optimists who as
sumo that the Tories viii vote for the
budget and avert a financial catas-
frcphe when the factions arc neglccting
reckessIy conditions of national safety.
II IS more probable. however that they
a1-ffl q, no dat If hpir
stituencies and vote against the budget,
leaving To the warning factions the re-
sponshility for breaking up the coalition
ma ority. Mr.. Balfour has not revealed
MS tactics. but il is an open secret that
he VIII wait for the Prime Minister to
take the Initiative and without in
trigunE with the Labor section or
either Irish faction allow them to over
turn the government whenever they
wish TO do SO.
English politics is neither patriotism
nor craftsmanship, but partisan war
care, Meanwhile, how can the Kings
government be carried on if the budget
~ held up by the Irish members and
The assurances Of the immediate passage
# q resolution against the Lc-ds and Of
the introduction Of the veto bill after
Easter are rejected by MIR Redmond as
Inadequate guarantees? The Tories
too hewildered for exultation. assert
that Mr.. AsqUith's only resource will
nc personal appeal To Mr.. Balfour for
support in order to complete the flnan-
cisl arrangements before tho end of
March. Pledged as they are against the
budget, the Jnicnists could only see it
through II il were made over and the
land and excise sections Were dropped
The Prime Minister'S resignation would
bo more dignified than SO ignominious A