The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-01-18
.UNIONIST PARTY
IS MUCH DIVIDED
Is At Skies and Sevens Over Tar
1T Reform, Main Plank
In Platform
NEW POLICY IS UNPOPULAR
Food Taxes" Are Not Favored by
Many of the Members
NEW POLICY IS UNPOPULAR

London, Jan. lS.--The Unionist par
~ again finds itself at skies and sew
ems over the main plank in its plat
form--Tarlff Reform-or what would
be known in America as tariff for rev.
enue.
When Lord Lansdowne, who Is slat-
ed for the position Of premier when
the Cnionists return to power, threw
overheard the policy enunciated by
Arthur Balfour. when leader of the
party, Of submitting the question To a
referendum OF the people before in
augurating tariff, and declared open
~ for a custom tariff on wheat there
was an outcry from Lancashire and
other manufacturing districts which
gave the Unionist leaders matter for
thought
A meeting Of the Unionist council
was hurriedly called and it was de-
cided that Bonar Law should in a
speech at Ashton Under Lyme, make
declaring that the Unionsts would net
adopt food taxes" or in other words
tariff OH food stuffs until the colcni IS
had been consulted, and only then II
the colonies asked that an import tax
should be imposed on foreign prod
ucts so that their products would be
given 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 hornets
nest. To the orthodox Unionist. whd
always votes for his party. Mr.. Laws
declarations were considered satisfac :
tory to the Liberals, who believe that
so long as the Unionists stick TO their
policy CT tariff reforms 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.
who while instinctively Unionist, in
the elections since 1906, or since the
Idea of Joseph Chamberlain became
the chief plank of the party. have vot
cd Liberal because Of their distrust OF
certain aspects of the tariff reform
program. These men were wilinS to
accept Mr.. Balfours promise of ref
erendIm, as they felt reasonably GER
tain that when asked the straight
"a. Ii
retention of free trade, especially il,
food stuffs and the effect was seen in
the last general election and I'm subse /.
quent bye elections when the Liberal
majorities We're reduced.
These results encouraged some OF
the younger Unionists to declare that
when returned to power tariff would
be introduced without a referendum,
and the effect was Immediately seen
in the bye elections at Bolton, which
the Unionists hoped to win but which
went against them. In fact. England.
or at any rate the North of England,
Scotland and Unionist Ireland, have a
long way To go before they will ac-
cept the tariff reform program in fun
food taxes and all.
Besides manufacturers ana opera
tives of the North. there is n
very strong press, including the Times,
the very influential papers of Man
chester. Liverpool. Leeds and other
manufacturing towns against the tar
iN on food products. In the Unionist
party in the House of Commons a
Unionist correspondent has calculated
that the 80 or 20 per cent of members
who supported Walter Long for the
leadership of the party, when Mr.. Law
was selected as compromise candi-
date, favor the referendum. while the
rest who supported Austin Chamber
iain for the position are for the whole
program.
The whole makes good election
cry for the Liberals who ask why the
colonies, in whose fiscal policy the
mother country has no voice, should
decide the policy Of the United King
dom.
lt may, too. have a distinct bearing
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 the
Union, whereas many others are will
ing to carry Home Rule in some form
or other, hoping thereby to obtain an
other election on Tariff Reform. Some
of Mr.. Chamberlain's followers have
already canvassed the possibility of
letting the Home Rule Bill pass, be &.
lowing that when that is out OF the
way the government will be willing to
go to the country, and the road will be
alan I.ALl -