MR STANLEY BALDWIN

Hokitika Guardian, 1 July 1930, Page 5

MR STANLEY BALDWIN

V •; REPLY TO CRITICS

l_ United Press Association —By Electric \', ' Telegraph.—(Copyright.]

LONDON, June 29. Mr Si Baldwin, Leader of the Party,

addressed four hundred Conservative L. House-of Commons candidates at Cax- - ton Hall on Wednesday. Mr Baldwin 'jv.on [this .occasion made the boldest S J. speech of his career. He said that he

'■ /.did not agree , there was a crisis in i the Conservative Party, hut if his ■ hearers had not made Up their minds, *. as he had made up . his ttiilid, then there would be a crisis. : Mr 'Baldwin'continued : “That interesting nobleman, Lord Eothermore, has been saying 'that Britain is in for a period of revolution. If there is a revolution, Lord Rothermere will be the first man to go to the south of France.”

“Great parties,” said Mr Baldwin, “cannot string to and fro from week to week without losing credit and confidence, '.unless there were a palpable reason for a change. If it can he, proved that the referendum is a bar to the unity of the Empire, and that there is no other way to achieving unity, then I am open to consider the jquestion. There has been nothing more curious in modern evolution than the effect of a rapidly-made -fortune and the control of a newspaper, giving the power of attack without there being any"; hit back! It goes to the. head like [wine! Attempts have been made ih such cases, to domineer and to dictate outside the province .of journalism. Three of the most striking cases are: The Hearst Press of the Unitid states, and Lord Rothermere and Lord Beaverbrook in England. Mr Hearst 'has failed to dominate American politics. He asked me to write for his papers, and when I declined (cheers) h© viciously attacked me. We are told--that, unless we make the pace ; with Lord Rothermere and Lord Beav.prVook, these noblemen’s candidates will overrun the country. Mr Lloyd George!s candidates ,at the last election, smelt of these, and they will stink. We have been challenged. We have been told that the gloves are off. Jf they are, we shall see who his th n dirty hands! I accept this challenge as I accepted that of .the Trade Union Council of 1926 when it launched the general strike, which is the only -previous parallel to have Lord Rotliermeres’ present attempt to dictate the Party policy’. I call his bluff!”