BRITISH POLITICS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9682, 5 January 1910, Page 5

BRITISH POLITICS.

THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN

SPEECH BY MK ASQUITH

Received January 4, 10.50 p.m. LONDON, January 4. ' Mr Asquith, speaking at Haddington, after paying a graceful tribute to the late Lord Percy, emphasised Mr \. J. Balfour's silence at Haddington towards Mr R. B. Haldane's scheme for the reconstruction of the army. He predicted that if the Tory party were returned they would follow on Mr Haldane's lines. He affirmed that regarding defences no Government had given more time and sustained thought thereto than the Liberals, ihe Government had recognised to the full the increasing risks where to Britain's naval supremacy was exposed, and did not hesitate to call for large sacrifices for a substantial addition to the naval expenditure, which was one of the principal causes of the Budget. This additional sum was now being better and more fruitfully expended than if spent earlier. "Our position as regarded the navy now and in future years, wherefore we as an administration are responsible, is one of unassailable superiority," said Mr Asquith. Adverting to economic questions, Mr Asquith declared that freetrade was more than a benefit. It was a vital necessity. He did not pretend that the Liberal policy would care unemployment, but it could do much to mitigate it. The policy was constructive. The Lords rejected the Budget because it was a complete and effectual alternative to tariff reform, and by that action they had exceeded a well settled constitutional func-j tion. I

A FIERY SERMON. The political sermon seems to be attracting some attention in England. In the Angel Street Congre* gational Church, Worcester, recently, the Rev. A. F. Guttery, went so deeply into political matters that the minister of the church found it necessary to issue a statement disclaiming responsibility for, or agreement with, the views expressed by Mr Guttery, and "profoundly regretting" that some of the opinions should have been uttered in a church. Mr Guttery, who seems to be a politician of considerable fervour, said, in the course of his address 3 "They would have learned the blessedness of independence if it had not been for the House of Lords. Sir R. Perk's letter was absolute folly. For him to blame the Government because educational injustice had not been remedied, and temperance legislation was not.triumphant, was ingratitude and folly. The Government had tried; the House of Lords had prevented them achieving their purpose. "One of the greatest scandals today was the way in which national charities had been diverted to sectarian purposes. Nonconformity had ideals for the State. It would be a scandal if in the next six months Nonconformists did not make LloydGeorge's position triumphant. He was hated because he was true to Nonconformity. It was about time to stop the maudlin cant of saying they were not political. "So long as his church suffered political injustice he was going to give his support to any political i party that would remove that injustice. 'We love England so much,' said the speaker, 'that we are willing to pay our bills without threatening a revolution. We do not cry out for Dreadnoughts; but we will pay the price. •"I think more of the old age pensioners than I do of the Territorials. We wage war not on the foreigner,but on the sweater, on the bookmaker, the brewer, the publican, the monopolist. I have no right to pledge you, but I am going v to give my support to the last ounce of my strength to the statesmen who have given us the children's charter and the old age pensions. "You will not go through the next six months without having a hot time of it; for we are in for a revolution—a revolution floated on beer. (Laughter). I have heard of a revolution based on blood, begun with tyranny, and one that is the protest of conscience, but a revolution for beer is the meanest, most sordid, and most contemptible revolution the world has ever known.' "