New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-01-19
An English Crisis
WITH SOME PERSONAL ELEMENTS IN EXISTING DIS.
copyright. 1915. by C. W. smaliey1

upon Tariff Reform itself except in re-
5pect Of food. and agreed upon the
principle of Preference, though not
upon the concrete shape to be given 10
that doctrine. All that is true, yet
there can be little doubt that the dis
sensions and dissensions or the last
month have weakened the UniOnist
party and put new heart into the Lib
erals If a house divided against itself
cannot stand. still less can party in
opposition afford 10 conduct in public a
debate which puts a. issue the prin-
ciples and leadership OF the party.
out OF the confusion came suddenly
a suggestion from the Prime Minister
himself that it might be convenient to
settle a very difficult matter by an early
appeal TO the constituencies. nothing
less than Home Rule itself. or the III
! ster par; Of it. which he now recognizes
as involving the whole. Mr.. Asquith
asked Mr.. Law across the table in the
House OF Commons whether, supposillg
the people OF Great Britain should vot /.
for Home Rule. he would still encour-
age Ulster 10 resist Mr.. Law replied
that while he stood by all he had said.
and would stand by Ulster i'm resisting
Home Rule as now put before them
he did not go beyond that. II the
people. or A clear issue, voted for sub
iecting lster to the Irish Nationalist
party the question would then be for
Ulster and not for hin. IL was in
ferred that Nj Asquth had in his mind
the project of an election on this ques-
ton. and that Mr. Laws answer was
II nature to encourage him. There
the matter rests for the present; If rest
il can he called.
In the lobby and the crypIs OF the
House OF Commons YOU may hear ru-
mors st'u more startling because they
affect the government itself. II has
long been known that the Cabinet il
anything but a happy family, and that
I'm the Coalition upon which hangs the
life Of this Ministry there are elements
of d.scord. These rumors have AT last
taken a more definite form They point
to nothing less than a reorganization
Of parties. and the attempt TO create
a new party to be known as the Ma
tional party That is word on which
the Irish. So far as Ireland is con-
cerned. ALREADY have a mortgage but
this is to be National in larger sense.
IL would he an attempt to unite the
more conservative elements in sboth
Unionist and Liberal parties In
sense that would only be substituting
one Coalition for another: and 70 that
there are thousand obvious obJec-
tons
But here again the personal iniu-
ence comes 10 the front. Again and
again we have all heard that the ri
yalry between Mr. Lloyd George and
Mr.. Winston Chirchil was becoming
more acute and every now and then
breaking out in the Cabinet lseII'
with ominous violence. Now We are
told that neither this nor any other
Cabinet is large enough. or cohId ne
made large enough, to hold both these
Radical champions. The suggestion
that Mr.. Churchill in his heart desired
10 resume relations with the tnlonists
is the foundation Of these reports. That
Of itself is evidence Of their inherent
jmprobability: yet they persist. There
10 annarentlv. no confirmation Of them
from the Tnionist side The initial diff
fcultles are enormous. Home Rule -
one. That is the one great political IS
sue on which Mr. Churchill, since he be-
came First Lord OF the Admiralty. mas
taken strong party line No doubt
the issue may disappear. II VIII dls-
appear II the electorate are asked 10
say YES or no 10 Home Rule " they
say Yes. it ceases 10 he a party ques-
lion. II thev say No II ceases 10 eX-
Jet. and few Conservatives doubt that
the great majority Of voters would say
No Nor do Conservatives doubt tha''
with or without a general election. the
TWO years intervening before Home
Rule bill can become law will, in one
way or another, prove fatal to That
deadly scheme.
II is remarked further, that MT.
Churchill and his Conservative cousin
the Duke Of Marlborough are again IN
friendly relations Blenhem Is once
more a sort Of home to him. He was
there the other day for the week end;
bringing Mr. and Mrs. Bourke Cochran
! with him as guests. That Is nothing
new. vet people who look for straws
think it significant. So do they Of the
continuing friendship between MI
Churchill and Mr. F. f.. Smith, whose
place as a Unionist leader and on the
Front Bench is no longer challenged
There are others on which / need not
dwell save one. The plain truth about
the Unionst party is that il Is In need
~ reinforcement. II II came into
mower tomorrow, il could not form a
Cabinet comparable in strength
whether debating or administrative
strength-to the present Radical Cabi-
net Mr.. Churchill's intellectual re-
sources and inexhaustible political in
, COMMITTEES would be invaluable. There
are other men in the Liberal ranks
, who could. and perhaps would, bring
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