THE UNIONIST FORCES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 588, 17 August 1909, Page 7

THE UNIONIST FORCES.

♦— —-. \ DANGER OF A SPLIT. : TARIFF BEFORMER V. FREE-TRADER. Illy Telceraph.—l'ress Association -CODKlfihl■• • , London, August'ls. Dr. Arthur John Evans, the tariff - eformer and distinguished archaeologist, has agreed'.to oppose Lord Hugh Cecil, who has promised to stnnd for Oxford University upon the Rt. Hon. J. G. Talbot's impending retirement. THE OPPOSING WINGS. "POLITICAL JACK-THE-RIPPERS." It looks ns if the tariff reform and the free* trado wings of the Unionist party are to fight, in opposite camps for the Oxford University soat. Lord Robert Cecil, brother of Lord Hugh Cecil, leads those free-trador or: freefoodor Unionists who refuse to accent the tariff reform test. The • extreme Tariff'•RβformersTror "Confederates," as they are dubbed —are; accused of attempting to push the freetraders out of the party; and Lord Robert Cecil as the. spbkesnlaiit/of tliß.Unipnist' free-traders, has made some impassioned speeches ou the subject. ■ -. . ' .

-When the impending retirement of.the.Bt. Hoii. : J. G. Talbot, Unionist• Al-.K for/Oxford University, eanio up, d requisition'was got up to lord' Hugh Cecil—whoso fiscal faith-may betaken as'bbing in line with Lord Roberts's— asking., him :to' stand. Lord , lliigli consented. 'Now, it ? is: cabled that the tariff reformers or ''Confederates" aro to. run a candidate in opposition.. ~ 11 this' is' a forecast of -the next jjoneral election—if the -Unionist, taviif . re- ■ formers aro to contest Uriiohist free-traders' Beats—there.mist be a, Unionist cleavage.-. •' .The , "Confederates"! , are suspected of Having captured the party.machine. In any case; Mr. Balfour will have.no e%sy task jn inducing the two-wans of the party to co-operate. , "A Unionist .majority/', says the "Confederates,- , •. is only possible on tariff reform." . \ -

Lord Crbmer's Broadside. ~ .:■ .From his safe coign of vantage in the House of Lords, Lord' Cromer, Unionist free-trader, occasionally makes a trip,to.the.Unionist i'reetrnde Club in order to lire, a broadside at-the "Confederates:" In .one 'of these efforts lie. lately "described"them as '-'mysterious.political Jack-the-KipperS,".and the' campaign against Lord Rou-31-t and Lord Hugh Cecil,' Mr. Abel Smith, and 111-.'BowleSi of Norwood,.as unjust and impolitic. ; -He suggested tllo possibility of formiug: a-. Centre Party, which he would welcome,, but of whose formation he was not' sanguine.- :■ . ', . ■ ' , ■' Lord Cromer 'declared that he would not be driven intd,the Hadical camp whatever happened.' Resistance to Socialism was'a transcendent issue. If he thought tariff reform all effe6tive ; :iiieahs -for resisting Socialism, 'he would throw, n-.'certain .amount ,of economic cargo., overboard;.,bufci he was a free-trader becaiiso he was' convinced that Protection would aggravate'the malady. The Government had stabbed-■ free-trade jn the .back.. . ■-~ . : .: ~-. ' The , Budget .contained some good points.,. He weliiomed. the atteinpt ■to raise' more- revenue froin diink, 'and' had■ no objection to• a- eradtia- . ted' income tax. Still; it was a bad Budget, and 'would, incroaso unemployment* He denied that there Wa.vnrf tihoice. between the Budget and'tariff reform, though .the Government had put α-very effective weapon into the hands of the protectionists. :: •:■'•..'.■ .-•;:■ i ; , ; . ' - . ■•• .Lord Hugh' Cecil, ; speaking after»Lord ■ Croiner,.hoped:that' whatever a few rabid people among ; ( the tariff rpformers did, the club would not. do •: anything to weaken the forces of re-sistance-against'the. dangers which the prewut Government ieflictei upon them. : Their first business' was to save, the' country from : the present pressllVg-dangers.." ' . ' ; . A "Confederate" in Reply,, ■ ; : The position of'the "Confederates" was re-. "cently set forth by 5 "One of Them" in the "Daily Mail," who wrote: .- ' ' '-' . • "It:has been , ; charged-against us that we. are political inrcckera and a menace to the Unionist . partyj /because, .believing in tariff reform, and agreeing that.it is arid mli?t continue to be the dominant issue in the Unionist' programme,' we , desire.fp assist in' securing '•.the teturn of. tariff reformers to Parliament,, and, to relieve, the.'jiarty. of the embarrassing support of. those wno_ will cease to support it when the most critical stage is reached in the impending. strhggle.... ', . Apparently, they havo:not considered what the position of .the Unionist party-would be if, returned to. office by-the tariff reform'majority of tb.6 Unionist party pledged ,'to introduce tariff reform,: it ' ehould .'be-prevented Iroiu giving effect'to that pledge -by file.defection of the free-trade members in its ranks. : ... -, .'• ■

"When oven local .-branches of. the Tariff Reform League have* exercised their undoubted ■right,' to take steps to secure - the representation of their views iii the "House of Coraißons, the ' free-traders have'. not hesitated/ to assail the. leaders of the party, to drag' them into local disputes; and to i accuse them-of unduly forcing-,their: policy. Tho 'Confederates' will relieve the' 'official ; .heads of the party- alike from the necessity arid the suspicionI of so •doirigi arid -will, with less responsibility, pen hapS, but with, not less effect, take up the work-of safeguarding-'tariff reform interests in constituencies which their free-trade members presume to regard as pocket.'boroughs.

Intervention ih CbhstKiiendbs. The writer refers to various seats .in, whioh the "Confederates" AliaVe .ihtervoned against Unionist free-trade 'members, and says: •"While the chief aim. of the. Confederacy is to render Conservative .seats, safe from any at-' tacki .ODen 'Or covert;..by ; the Uiiiohist opjioneuts of tariff refotiiVy it is ;\ot : intended . to restrict its operatiorfs to electioneering work. It is to be a po'vmaheut 'brgnnisation. whicli; in- view of tho lack of definite leadership in the past, will take all possible measures to ensure that tUere."shall be no hesitation' or procrastination in'the future. It will help-the forces marching under.the flag of tariff roform. to reach tho citadel,,and..will see to it that theyjio their'duty when they get there.,'-■ •':. ■.."With;few exceptions the 'Confederates' are irteii.,of cdusiderable political influence, and several of them are of: national reputation.: More than twenty are Peers, , thirty-are , members- Of the' House of Commons, and another thirty may safely be reckoned among the members of the next' House Commons. They Ire very serious, and quito equal to the task they have undertaken. Realising the difficulties in the way of 'obtaining tariff reform candidates to oppose f roe-trade Unionists -in .possession of ; Conservative seats, they started on their task prepared to find suitable men to fill these positions in nine constituencies, and they obtained adequate guarantees for tho whole of the funds required for the purpose. These guarantees were provided by the/Con-, federates'.themselves, in addition to the ordinary, contributions of their: members, '■ which range froiri- JSIOO upwards, and in some cases have amounted to £1000." , ........