BRITISH POLITICS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 377, 25 April 1908, Page 4

BRITISH POLITICS.

The Fight Against Winston Churchill. London, April 21. The Hon. Mr Lloyd-George (Chancellor of the Exchequer), speaking at Manchester, on behalf of his colleague, the Hon. Mr Winston Churchill, predicted that old-age pensions would come withiu twelve months. He denied that the Liberals were abandoning their programme of advanced social reform in order to win back—according to a suggestion which had been made —the confidence of the country. If they did that they would win the contempt of the country. He did not believe that Manchester, _ after standing on the great principles of 1906, would sell them in 1908. The defeat of Mr Churchill would be a blow to Freetrade. He added that Freetrade was the Alpha, not the Omega, of the Liberal policy which would be built thereon, and they must be careful not to remove the foundation. He emphasised the need for courage to combat the monopoly of privilege and obstructiveuess of vested interests, whether in regard to the education question or the liquor trade. Mr A. J. Balfour (Leader of the Opposition) in a letter to Mr Joyn-son-Hicks), Unionist (Mr Churchill’s opponent), predicted that Mr Hicks would win. He says the fact that the President of the Board of Trade should find his own powers insufficient to defend the seat, and that the new Chancellor of the Exchequer should be driven

to come to his assistance is an unwilling tribute to Mr Hicks’ eloquence and his party’s enthusiasm, which any candidate might envy. The more members of the Government explain their use of political power the less likely they are to retain it. Commenting on the attitude of the Freetraders, he adds that such divisions are wasting maladies to great organisations and the evil they are doing is increased by any attempt to disgrace the vast majority of the party’s resolve to deal with the fiscal question. “My hope for the complete unity of the Unionists is based upon the growing conviction that they will all ultimately see the fiscal system broken down at each standpoint, including Peel’s and Gladstone’s —then alternative proposals will have a fair hearing from the small section of Unionists still dreading a change, though these may meanwhile stand aloof.” He added that he was confident that Mr Hicks will begin the restoration to the Unionist principle of the great community which once was and again will be the strength and glory of the Unionist cause.

London, April 22. The Standing Committee of the Irish League in Great Britain has recommended the Nationalists to vote for Mr Winston Churchill, on grounds that the latter had declared, on Mr Asquith’s authority, that Home Rule in a sense is a Redmond resolution to be submitted to the electors by the Government at the next general election.

The Standing Committee of the Irish League iu Dublin was in communication with this instruction to the Standing Committee cf the League in Gregf Britain before the latter issued the above recommendation, signed by Messrs Redmond and T. P. O’Connor.

The Catholic priests in Manchester resent the Irish League’s manifesto, and Bishop Salford appeals to Catholics to vote against Mr Winston Churchill, on the grounds of his education policy. The Times estimates that only 250 Irish will vole for Mr Churchill. The Rt. Hon. Sir F. AclandHood (Conservative), speaking at Wellington, for which place he is M.P., declared that Mr Winston Churchill was not entitled, under the constitution, to pledge the Cabinet unless it collectively adopted a given policy on behalf of the whole party. [At the last general election Mr Winston Churchill’s majority over Mr Joynson-Hicks was 1241 —5369 votes against 4398, in a: total electorate of 11,411. As recent elections have indicated a turn of the tide against . the party in power, the Unionists have strong hopes of being able to defeat one of the most prominent members of Asquith’s Government.]