The Daily News WEDNESSAY, FEBRUARY 5. BRITISH POLITICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 39, 5 February 1908, Page 2

The Daily News WEDNESSAY, FEBRUARY 5. BRITISH POLITICS.

I'ii, m- niiM Imvo vim« and inclination i.i I'dllnw <l.--cly mailer- political in the (.'ld I'uinntv cannot (nil to liiul uuu-li that will inti r and nm a litl.c lli:il will allord Jll.Vteria 1 for serious l'c-il.-fiiou. I'll.' present Liberal administnitioii wut the onLL'onii l of ou<? oi tUuoO periodic )>olitieiil upheavals ili.it mvariamy lake place when the pinch of poveriv i- tell amongst the laboring cla-i-es. The actual cau-e of the retirement of the Coalition. Ministry of toil-sci-iatives and Unionists nro-e over the liscal question which during and subsequent to IWW overshadowed all other questions. A long series of Liberal sue- j cesses al bye elections reduced the Government "majority in 1!H)5 from 1-32 io i;:i. und in .November of that year Mr. Balfour, the l'vernicr. resigned, and Sir 11. Oimpbell-Hannenmi.n formed a strong Ministry, and in the .I'anuary following a neneral election look place, the result was to liive th c Liberals a majority of 2in over the combined Conservatives and Unionists. without counting the 27 Labor and S3 Irish Nationalist members. Wiih such an overwhelming maj":ily pledged to free trade anil social reform it was feared that there was n possibility of great pressure being broughL on tile Government for legislai tion ill the ultra-progressive direction. I Without iloubt the Sociali-ls hailed the advent of the new (lovernment witli j every symptom of jubilation. For them llhe'day of triumph appeared to be I dawning. Social reform was one of the I chief planks of the Liberal Party, and I tho Socialists liaturallly felt that the time had arrived for t'hem to make a ! supreme effort to capture the machinery : of the Labor L'art-v and engineer it for | their own eiuh. Thus Great Britain is I face (o face with fwo most difficult rcI form- -liscal and social--and it is over ' these issues tflat the great political j kittles must lie fought, the fate of pavI ti.K decided. and the iiilure of the c.iun : trv evolved.

The present ALini-try h..ve falloit upon anything but a bed o! I here ss_. (»f course, troubi? in Ireland, but. that in one 0 or another is chronic, dillerin,r nil v a - l-i its magnitude or character. Thou lieii: i-s iue seat of an agita. linn, iis nvowed object Icing similar to that of I lie d killer ted lri>h. namely, th:* alirinni UL of Home Rule. i lie uraniir.g of a constitution to the South Afri. an coionie?. though still in the ex-pr-riuiental singe, jimls to th" an\iety and 1.-urdei'- of tir> imperial Cabinet. :he education rpjer,tien is n.'i settled, and has still to be a serious bone of contintioii amoijusi secular and religious ]i;u-ti-ans. The latest pronouncement on th:* vo\ci.l que-tion i< ihat ihe policy wiil now !»'• 10 put the nation lir-t and section*' afterwards. The Army reorganisation scheme lately adopted lu* yet to lo tested. It i* meeting with op-i.ositi'-a from Si»ei;>lir-ts who regard it as the thin end of the w<dge of compulsory -ei vice. With l '-gnrd io the navy there ajv hin'.s oj" di-agreeiwnU in the C'abiiri on ihe ever-important cjuislion of ways and mean=. On the one hand th i-e' responsible for the efliciency of the n.wy a»v avev>e to rctrcnehmont, while tho>o responsible for other depart meius of the are being pressed to cut doWjj war-like expenditure in orde.' to liud th,. w iieivw ith «| for old-age pen-ions. It U the irony of fate that Iwo such 2i"ees-,ary pro\isions should have to be in eonllici. Which is to prevail: Amongst other il'-nis in llic M;n>lciial programme are thc tn-fier-in ilion of the Lowlands of Scotland, dis-eslablishjn-ejjt of the Church in Wales, reform in the lloijse of f.ords iu the direeiion of securing the absolute suprem-a-y of the Jlou-e of Commons. There

is to lie a new Licensing I'.ill, the chief point being lit;.' granting of local option and oilier provi-ionc similar to those j ii'nv in force in the Dominion. The ! question of female franchise al-o appeirs | |o lie looming near on the political hoii- ; /en. the Prime Minister having advised j the siiU'ragcttcs that if they pestered the j people pcrsistenU.v they would probably i win sooner thin many c\pected. Jinlgj nig I rem the past conduct of the shrieking M-terhood they require little enI I'ouragKment iu their pestering tactics, J and lively times may be anticipated, in j response to the Premier's hint. 11l one way the position of Lilieral Party in Uritain i= analagotw to that of its protolyp e in the Dominion. Not only does it possess a large working majority in Parliament, but there is also a -omewhat weak Opposition. jf any •sijjniliennee is to be attached to recent bye-elections, there seems to lie reaction ary force at, work in the direction of stability of government. The Unionist I Party is awakening to tlie fact that they did not understand their own policy iu IWti, and consequently that the country preferred a parly whose policy and promise's were definite, though, like I most other promises that are made with j ;he object of gaining votes, inanv were insincere, som ( . being relegated to oblivion at the earliest possible moment, while others were unlillable. Political morality of the present day is remarkJ ably liable to sudden and frequent lapses. J j I'l lai'l. hypocrisy iu politics has been

j rr'iih'Cii io ;i liiif ari in wljicli iho aim is ! i'> j'l.v.'o t)i<* "iniHijooiu" volri'> in nni-'-h j ill.! niiuiv position :!« aro iht- of ; llif 1 inr-lv'. (i ltn> long hcuii ! ivi'op-nisod tli.ii jojij/ j;•> ilip c-iw- of !lh,» niiivc skilinliv ii"kk»d lj\* no'ii tirill Icildci"'; tilt' IVi-M't i- ;i ' j rnii'-hi.-hin. .1 !io liy drc;ij"iiation j ! uh;lt llio 1.1 W ]- Ol'i 'll In ho <>i,ly iii ii|,- (ijiiViil ni!;ui,.'i\ jk'li.f tih.' i oi l o 'j.i v l)«*i n!i|" ilie pari;tiH .jf ' io-iii l 'i'ii,Tin.'o r.iiv-Ci: ore an : •.•leinMiN ;d i!i?» ol j tlie l liritirsjj Administration, So--1 r1 ]uk imfmiod ii« red llag. titi-l i ihrrauMH tlie landownor-. tli e capiiai- • ' pnvvrr .;f the i ir.i.- /'<• 111 *ll d; 1 • i upon prir.iio iiiiiiaiiwv ;

"I Hi ' <>l .-iiii.ll ; \ iilenlly .'.insider- ; and wilii ] p (-nii. iSi.ii i In- .iipremacv n l!l<- N)ciaii-t- would be til: 1 .*tfi *uuiy I lis* t fU'v !i i j I In.ili [(, Hi!. 'j.Jj.l the Pnn;-. ynd ll r predict fl MW-Xiiry of ])i,|iur ; »i lone* -n \W,w ihf bnitie -lull' I); 1 i.m'i In the I nionist-. .ind the Socialist*. I! this eventuate there need be no jY:u "i the ivMilt. T'lf second factor jo be reckoned wilU i- the Ui>h Home Rule lad ion. which. though jvvcr a verv muled ur huppy pany. ]< -imwin;: a mmv united front than cut, and \an hj" depended ii pun in spai.- U.i etToit to yaiu -a'Ji-y.ivonniient. The third op,»ralive torn* anfaji-nu'Htie to (he pro-tent <ioWMiinii'iit i- to l» i i<>ulift in liplitlinii ol ; j]f Con-en niive ami I'llinnis; parlies. aiignH-ntod by leaders from the 'abcra! am! Labor rank-. a-«-i-lej] by ih r

: I'Mi-iJonaiy wave I hat U jkjw miing ir j 'owanN tli:-. advance of' the ' Hag l«;Ua!iio)i-. It i- li t!t< riTi" I Ni-w Xoaia iid lli.it it - progressive i i'-iii-i'tlinn '-iioiihl la* copied by (!, r ther i'iK-i<> .r-o, however, manv : alic.ui ] u jmliliev for tin- old ;iii'l • lainN aiiki-. A (in-ioii> nnfnuily is i in In- t'.'inid in !.oi!i iti iolit'iimi . '<> Hi- S,rn.i:l riu-niluM-. "While lli,> t «-•)• v.M'onn \6 (l'luiitiorl I'jv.li :ippi»ii)i----i"• 1 111- ar<» madf a< rewards for p.dificul j I'lT-annl >GvictN. Hn\v Ion;;' the pen- , |'!i' <d" i.'uili cnumi'it l -, will cnuntiMiaiic ; pi-;—/til-day politirnl niftliods n not Tor - M- 1 o pinlic'. 111!]' -prvant- often prove i li'M'd !;t-kina'-tei'-. An inler- [ c.-t ia on tlif ]jarf of tbn ri.-ipff ' L 1 u>'Vat i«'n -It.Tiid |],.|p t;. pui'iiv t!m j p'>liiie:tl ahiK.-piiere and .-cciir:. iI JC ) f (-la-? nt' It'irMatinn. i