The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-09
|BALFOUR RESIGNS
 LEAD 0F UN|0N|STS
III Health and Increasing
 Age His Reasons
HE SPEAKS FEELINGLY
MT. Balfour Deprecates Reports of Party DissensiOn-Dissatis tion Has Long Been
 Growing in Party

London, November S.--The uniontst party is to swap horses while crossing the home rule stream. Arthur J. Bal four at an emergency meeting of the City of London Conservative as sociation this afternoon announced to his constituents his retirement from tho leadership of the opposition. Impaired health, increasing age and the desira- bility of the leadership passing into younger hands were the reasons ne gave in a speech marked by much feel ing. No one doubts that the increas- ing attacks against him by the amhl- tious younger conservatives, however particularly the tariff reformers were the principal. factors.
 While number of influential union ists and would-be leaders, notably Au- sten Chamberlain and F. E. Smith, have been demanding his retirement from the leadership, few believed MT. Bal
 four would drop the helm in such an important stage of the party's TOT tunes, Lord Lansdowne, opposition leader in the house of lords, deniec
 reports that he also would withdraw MT. Balfour will remain in the house of commons although he would be eie- vated to the peerage if he so desired While he as former r. emier was rec ognized as the leader of the whole party, the leadership now will be di- vided, his successor, probably the lion Walter Hume, who represents the Strand, sharing it with Lord Lans-
 downe. A caucus Monday will choose new leader. Advanced tariff rerorm- CTS favor Austen Chamberlain, while Sir Edward Henry Carson, Dublin uni versity, and r. E.. Smith, Walton dl' vision of Liverpool, are mentioned Mir. ,Balfour was received by Inc King today and informed his majesty of his decision.
 During his speech before his consult
 uents he said:
 q desire to leave the position or heaVy
 responsibility which hold before can
 be suspected of suffering from that most
 insidious of all diseases. that disease which comes upon those who without ios- in;, their health or intellect nevertheless get petrified in the old course they have pursued, whose authority grows because they have been so long in public ser vice, or are great men of science, or emi- nent men of business, but who cannot deal with the problems which in this changing world are perpetually arising with all. Freshness and elasticity are de-
 sirable in those who have got to conduct
 great concerns.
 NO man knows himself when the houi arrives.
 ''I am vain enough to hope that have not reached that period. But would bt
 miserable if I ran the margin too fine, MT. Balfour deprecates the reports O. party dissension. He believes 1t to be 1T
 normal condition and declared that the country was tiring of sweeping radica legislation. The party, he said, would soon return to power. Many conserva- tives, contend that the question of his health was the only reason for MT. Bal fours retirement.
 The liberals and adherents of the Irish
 parliament regret that the house of com
 mons debates will lose a great share oi
 interest with MT. Balfours retirement.
 Dissatisfaction with MT. Balfour as leader has long been growing among the
 tariff reformers, who criticised his ap- parent lack of convictions, on that issue, and gained great impetus when he advis- ed the house of lords to swallow the veto bill