The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-01-18
LONDON GOSSIP


London. Jan. 1S.-Thc unionist
party again finds itself at skies and
sevens over the main plank in its
lplatform-tarihf reform-or what
would be known in America as tariff
for revenue.
When Lord 1.ansdowne. who is slat-
cd for the position Of premier when
the unionists return to power. threw
overheard the policy cnunciatcd by
party. Of submitting the question to IL
referendum OF the people before in
augurating n tariff. and declared OPP
emily for a custom tariff on wheat
there was an outcry from Lancashire
and other manufacturing districts
which gave the unionist leaders mat
ter for thought.
A meeting OF the unionist council
was hurriedly called and 1t was decid-
ed hat Bonar Law should in a
speech at Ashton-Under-Lyne. make
an effort to smooth over the trouble
by declaring that the unionists would
not adopt food taxes" or in other
words Il tariff on food stuffs until the
colonies had been consulted. and only
then II the colonies asked that an
import tax should be imposed on for
ctgn products so that their products
would be given Il preference.
instead. however. of composing the
differences Mr.. Laws speech. which
was delivered in the heart of indus
trial Lancashire. and was an appeal to
that county and the Industrial north
generally. stirred up Il hornets nest.
To h orthodox , ionist. wko always
votes for his party. MI. Laws declar-
itions We're considered satisfactory,
n they cannot he said to have been
unsatisfactory to the liberals, who be-
lteve that so long as the %unionists stick
to their policy of tariff reform the
liberals are pretty sure Of retaining
power.
But throughout the country. and
particularly in the manufacturing dis
tricts. there are a great many men.
VINO while instinctively %unionist, in
the elections since 1906, or since the
idea of Joseph Chamberlain became
the chief plank of the party. have vot-
ed liberal because of their distrust
OF certain aspects Of the tariff reform
program. These men were willing to
accept Mr.. Balfour's promise of a ref
erendum. as they felt reasonably GER
tain That when asked the straight
retention of free trade, especially in
the last general election and in SUBJ
sequent bye elections when the lib
eral majorities were reduced.
These results encouraged some of
the younger unionists to declare that
when returned to power a tariff
would be introduced without a refer
and the effect vas Immediate
ly seen in the bye elections at Bolton,
which the %unionists hoped to win but
which went against them. In fact,
Ensland' or at any rate the north OF
England, scotland and unionist ire
land, have a long way to go before
they will accept the tariff reform pro-
gram in full-food taxes and all.
Besides manufacturers and opera
tives Of the north, there is a very
press. including the Tines. the
very influential papers of Manchester,
Leeds and other manufac-
turing towns against the tariff on
food products. In the unionist party
in the house Of commons a unionist
sixty or seventy per cent of members
who supported Walter Long for the
leadership of the party. when Mr..
Law was selected as a compromise
favor the referendum,
while the rest who supported Austin
for the position are for
whole program.
The whole makes a good election
cry for the liberals, who ask why the
ColouleS, III whose t1Scal policy the
mother country has no voice., should
decide the policy of the United King
dom.
1t may, too. have a distinct bear
ing on home rule, when that measure
reaches the house Of lords. 1t is said
that the Ulster peers and many of
the English unionist lords, who were
never very energetic supporters of
Mr.. Chamberlain's policy, are willing
to throw over tariff reform to save
union, whereas many others are
to carry home rule in some
form or other, hoping thereby to OBJ
tain another election on tariff re-
form. Some Of Mr.. Chamberlain's
followers have already canvassed the
possibility of letting the home rule
bill pass. believing that when that is
out of the way the government will
be willing to go to the country. and
road will be cleared for their pet
FOR YOUR son. I
"The trouble with the American
boy is that he won't take his Job Sc