Lord Randolph Churchill. His Reasons for Resigning.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 194, 12 March 1887, Page 1 (Supplement)

Lord Randolph Churchill. His Reasons for Resigning.

Adelaide, March 4, The following summary has been received, per Garonne :— ■ London, January 28. On the opening of Parliament Lord Randolph Churchill explained the cauee of his reeignation. He stated that ho was unable to become responsible for the Estimates presented by the heads of the Army and Navy Departments, although thero were other matterß of grave importance whereon he differed from tha Marquis of Salisbury, They were, however, susceptible of accommodation. Considering that he had pledged himself to a policy of retrenchment, knowing that retrenchment was desirable and possible, it was impossible for him to retain a piece in a Government whose programmo excluded retrenchment. The army and navy estimates amounted to thirty-one millions, which would exceed by cix millions the average from 1874 to 1884 ; besides, there *vere large supplementary estimates which the Government would ask Parliament to sanction. He had strongly urged the Government to commence their tenure of office by returning to a normal state of expenditure, aed although he had desired one million might be struck off the Estimates, half that amount might have satisfied him if the Government had shown signs of a disposition for retrenchment. He repudiated the statement that he had resigned in a fit of temper, and stated that the controversy with regard to retrenchment had been going on since the formation of the Government. At the conclusion of his speech, Lord Randolph read a letter which he had written to Lord Salisbury on the 22nd December stating that the character of the domestic legislation contemplated by the Government, in his opinion, fell sadly short of what Parliament and tba country expected and required. Theforeign policy of the Government had appeared to him at once dangerous and without method, but he took bi-a stand on the question of expenditure and finance, which involved and would determine all other matters. Reviewing his former public declarations on the subject, and having no reason to doubt their soundness, he took leave of Lord Salisbury with profound regret, but without doubt or hesitation. Mr W. H. Smith expressed profound regret, on behalf of himself and the Cabinet, at the resignation of Lord Churchill. While admitting the importance of retrenchment he repudiated that the Government waa actuated by a meddlesome foreign policy. He maintained that the present moment was inopportune to stop expenditure which had beon ranctioned and commenced by the previous Government.