The daily Gate City., 1913-02-10
Y ROW IN
POLITICAL PARTY
Conservatives Of tho English ParIia-
ment IndulgIne In Good Old
Fashioned Scrap Over
tho Tariff.
FREE TRADE COUNTRY
Rumpus Started Over the plan Of
Counting Chickens Before They
Are Hatched and Soaring
the Hen Away.
1By Ed L. Keen, London correspon-
DENT nf tho IIni4aa n-.-

-
LONDON. Feb. 10.-They are hay-
ing lovely row in the conservative
(alias unionist, alias tory) party
quite reminiscen. OF some OF the good
old-fashioned scraps In which the
democrats OF the United States usecl
to indulge when they also were in
the minority. And 1t is about the
tariff, 200. Here Is the situation:
England is now practically a free.
trade country. There is slight tar
iff-on tea, coffee. chocolate, tobacco,
intoxicants. and few other luxuries
OF life-but that doesn't count. The
conservatives are for tariff reform, or
as it Is sometimes called, imperial
preference-a big tariff wall about
the empire and little, very little,
walls between England and her colo
nies. The tripartite coalition which
is now running the government Is
ansi-tariff reform, the liberals ano
laborites being vigorously opposed to
any tinkering with the customs
duties, and the Irish nationalists be.
ing far too busy working and praying
for home rule to even think OF chang
ing the existing order OF things in
any o.her respect.
The present rumpus started as a
result Of engaging In that alluring,
but often unwise pastime to which
political parties In England are quite
prone as those OF other countries
counting their chickens before they
are hatched. And 1t has become SO
fierce that the chances right now are
all in favor of the hen being scared
OF the nest. Meantime the liberals
and laborites are g.eefully making
the most of the situation.
The conservatives had become so
absolutely sure during recent months
of their ability to oust the coalition
from power within the next year or
SO that they had already begun to
gather the bricks wherewith to build
their long cherished tariff structure.
Right here is where the trouble start
ed. They got to quarrelling over the
various brands OF material. One sec
tion OF the party wanted to throw
out those labeled food tax" The
electorate would never stand for an
import duty that would raise the
price OF bread. The other section
promptly pronounced this move as a
catch-penny device designed merely
to get votes, and wholly repugnant to
the glorious principles Of imperial
preference.
Before the fuss began there were
many liberals who would reluctantly
admit that in the event OF general
election at that time the conservA-
tiyes would have won. Added to the
fact that after one party has been in
control OF the government. for seven
years the desire for change is usua,.
ly manifested, there had been consio
erable dissatisfaction among the
tanner sort OF liberals with the mar
ner In which Lloyd George was rush
Ing through his reform legislation.
Misrepresentation and misunder-
standing Of the workmen's insurance
act has alienated good many OF the
laborites.
Moreover. the liberal rank and file
had never been unanimous on homo
rule or Welsh dlsestablishment. the
two big measures Of the present ses-
sion, and even the cabinet was split
on the question of woman suffrage
and Lloyd Georges land tax program.
The general drift OF public opinion
had been reflected In the 7arious cleo.
tfons to parliamentary vacancies.
Within year the conservatives had
taken six seats from the liberals and
had greatly reduced the liberal ma.
jorities in dozen other districts. y,
was while flushed with these victor.
les that the conservatives one day
managed to defea. the government
on an important section OF the hons
rule bill. In fact, everything appear
ed to be coming their way-until the
food tax squabble arose.
Il is not the first time the conser.
vatives have quarreled over the tar.
III. When Joseph Chamberlain. IN
1902, launched his protectionist mol
Icy the majority OF the party woula
have nothing tn do with n Tbara