The Dominion. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1911. BRITISH POLITICS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1049, 11 February 1911, Page 4

The Dominion. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1911. BRITISH POLITICS.

,The British Government's postponement of' its attack upon the iHpuse of Lords has not deprived of all interest Ihd opening days of the session. It _\is' impossible, ho'wcvor, not to notice the likeness between the proceedings so far as they have gone and tho proceedings during the first week of a session summoned in normal times. ,Tho absence of any desire on the part of either tho Government or of the Opposition to forco an early skirmish upon the sing o issuo upon which the election is. claimed by the Government to navo boon fought is romarkablo enough to invito speculation upon the position.; So far is the House fronrwanting to como to grips upon this issue.that, members have thrown the-jisolvcs into'tho discussion of otiipr topics with as much.keenness as if thero were no greater business awaiting attention. We should bocrediting the House, and the country with far more coolness, solf-rcstraint and method than they, can Jay claim to if we concluded that the unanimity with which "tho' v issuo'is set on; one sido means nothing. It docs mean something—but what is its meaning? Possibly, that on weighing, all the possibilities Mr. AsQumthas decided that any ardour for .destruction that tho country may 5° ,P° 3 ? CSEcd 'has greatly' cooled, .and thai m any event he cannot conduct a fight to a finish without suffering serious damage. It'was generally agreed, amongst' \tho more moderate pcoplo who wished to avoid the .disaster of a settlement of tho. CQnstitutional'issue by force, that another Conference ought not to bo hold, but, some sort of compro-. miso should bo .arrived, at by private and, unofficial . negotiations. This is an idea of exactly-the kind that would find favour with the leaders of, tho, two great, parties, and' they can derive encouragement from' tho obvious failure of,.tho, public to keep on screaming in" a high key. It is riot -unreasonable to suppose, therefore,'that tho Parliament Bill that will be brought down will be' different from tho drastic measure of last year, "and will not havo that sensational progress which Limchou'so was-told it might expect. • MR.-"AsQuiTn is going about his business in a very matter-of-fact way. There is no longer talk about a' short sharp session ending with Mr. Lloyd-George shouting "Victory !", on a heap of ducal corpses. On tho contrary.Mr. Asquitii, without any menacing qualifications, is announcing a number of Bills that he intends to deal with. Tho introduction of. a Bill to' extend the Labourers (Ireland) Act docs not look liko tho first move.in.providing for'Home.Bulc; and tho other measures promised carry ■ .lurther the theory; that thero is.to bo no revolution .for tho, prdscnt. > Tho Prime Minister is even, making engagemerits, in connection with tho Declaration of London, up to and after the holding of the Imperial Conference. The nearer tho Coronation approaches, tho more difficult it will be to proceed with drastic measures against tho Lords; and if nothing has been done in that njatter boforo tho Coronation tlic task of bringing tho nation to the necessary boilingpoint will be practically impossible. In tho meantime tho fiscal controversy has again como to tho front, and is providing both sides with, plenty of work. We find it difficult to understand either tho gloom or tho gleo of tho Tariff Reformers at tho prospect of a- trade-reciprocity treaty between Canada and America —for there is gloom at what is fearctf to bo a terrific blow at the practical chances of Tariff Reform and gleoat what, with just as much, or as littlo reason, is felt to bo an impressive warning' to Britain to seek salvation through a tariff. It'is not politics, or sentiment, but ', the, actual ncods of the peoples of Canada and America that will open America to the grain of the Domin'ion. Canada will send hor wheat to tho most advantageous market, and if America removed tho tariff barrier nothing that Britain could do, short of an actual bonus to Canada, would divert a singlo grain of wheat from its courso into the States. Mr. Austen Chamberlain realises this. "As America drained the Canadian wheat supplies," .' ho" said' in moving the official Tariff Reform amendment to tho Address, "tho result would be dearer food, and an enormous stimulus would bo given to stock-raising in tho United States, which would be placed in a more favourablo position to sccuxoCanada's vast resources." His general conclusion was that "there was more urgent need than over for Britain, to come to terms with the other Dominions boforo they, wcro beset by foreign suitors," This is a very suggestive way of stating the d6clrino of "exclusive trade. It admits that the colonics 'aro likely to find their neighbours," and .those countries trading _ with them, anxious to arranjjo reciprocity treaties, and it implies that the only way in which Britain can protar, ve' her trade with her possessions

h to equip herself with a tariff and outbid the trespassers upon tho Imperial estate. But if a foreign State—in 'tho present ease' it is America—finds its interests can best be served by a deal with a British dependency—Canada, for exampleit may lower its tariff wall without receiving a concession in exchange. Sooner or later America would have to lower the barrier against Canadian wheat. How could the Empire, in . that case, prevent the consequence'! Tho Liberals have not shown to the best advantage in tho debate, so far as appears from tho cable messages. The suggestion that Mr. Ciiamderlain's ' amendment would cause "a mischievous reaction" in Canada is rather absurd, for we cannot conceive that Canada is.moro likely than New Zealand to resent such ■ a treatment of the question as Mr. Chamberlain's. There cannot bo too much discussion upon the commercial side of tho Empire, and while there are easily defined lines that must not be crossed in debate, it would bo foolish to say that no man may not express his honest opinion about tho wisdom or unwisdom, of the. action of any particular part of the Empire.' If Mr. Chamberlain thinks that the Canadian Government has erred, ho may certainly say so, provided that he does not—as ho plainly does not— question tho motives of that Government or its zeal for Imperial stability. If such speeches as his arc to be prohibited, then there is an end of all discussion of the great probloms in which the Empire is interested. '