Mr. Balfour created considerable sensation three days ago by announcing the postponement of the Finance Bill on the ground that it would be inconvenient to discuss the Budget "while other things wre in the balance." What he meant of course was while peace and war are in the balance but the conclusion to which most people came was that there were differences of opinion in the Cabinet as to what course should be adopted in regard to the Budget if peace were declared. Last night Mr. Balfour referred to these conclusions and ch: acterised them as an_absurd deduction from his statement. He did not, however, deny in so many words that there were differences of opinion in the Cabinet. When Sir Michael Hicks-Beach introduced his Budget he explained that even if the war came to an end sooner then was expected all the money he asked for would still be required, as the cost of pacitica'ion, of bringing home troops and of distributing bonuses among thew would be great. But he can hardly have contemplated the conclusion of the war before the Finance Bill wes passed. The com tax and the extra penny on the income tax together scarcely cover a month's war expenditure, and there seems good ground for believing that there is at least a section of the Cabinet in favour of abandoning the corn duty, if not the extra income tax. Possibly, however, the whole Cabinet has agree! to drop the tax. There can be no question of the unpovutarity of the tax among the mass of the electorate, and very little doubt that to it the Goverament owe their recent defeat in the by-election at Bury.
The Liberals' Opportunity.
To-day Lord Rosebery is making a great speech at Leeds, and the line which he will adopt may be gathered from a speech which he made at the National Liberal Club on Saturday. The "Times," which has loudly championed Lord Rosebery as the coming leader of a strong patriotic Imperialist opposition is deep] disappointed at this speech, though it i dificult to see why. Lord Rosebery has not modified in the smallest degree his recent pronouncements on the war and HomeRule. He believes the war to be just and Home Rule to be impossible; but in the main he is strongly opposed to the Government.
were not, what chance would he have of becoming "leader of the Opposition Party! Lord Rosebery condemns the Government for their refusal of an enquiry at the present time into the Remounts scandals, and for their action in regard to Mr. Cartwright, who, it will be remembered, was refused permission to leave South Africa after he had served his sentence for libelling Lord Kitchener. He denounces the corn main pr On these and other questions he declares P that the Liberal Party have an opportunity for a strong and united attack upon the Government such as has not been open to them since they were last in power. The speech his given great satisfaction to the liberal Party, since it entirely dispels the reports that the ex-Premier contemplated casting in his lot with the Liberal Unionists.
"C. B." and his " Methods of Barbarism.
Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman was booked to address a Liberal meeting two days later; but to the disappointment of the party venerally he entirely ignored Lord Roscbery's speech and devoted the greater part of his speech to another long winded and unconvincing defence of his attitude in regard t" the conduct of the war. He still maintains that he has said nothing in derogation of the British Army, and that what he described as methods of barlsrisin were duties imposed on the army by the Government and carried out by the soldiers with faithful discipline but with loathing and disgust. Everybody knows of course that farm-burning and the other "methods to which Sir Henry objects ave military measures for which the military authorities and not the Government must be primarily responsible; but Sir Henry porsi-tently ignores this fact and then complains bitterly because he yets no credit for his repeated protestations that. he honours the army. However, on the Education Bill the Corn Datyand other matters of practiea polities he and Lord Rosebery are at one and there is very little doubt that when peace has been declared x reconciliation between them will be effected.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.