On Tuesday "Mr. Balfour addressed a great: mass meeting at Newcastlé-on-Tyne in connection with the meeting there of the National Union: of Conservative Associations. In view of Mr.
Chamberlain's speech' at Birmingham Inst week and the proximity of the General Election the Prime Minister's speech had been looked forward. to with the keenest interest. And it proved interesting enough even though it sadly disappointed the bulk of his own followers. That the great mass of them are prepared to go the whole length with Mr. Balfour was proved by the proceedings of the afternoon, when a long and elaborately concocted resolution, moved by Mr. Chaplin and designed to show that Mr. Balfour's policy wes identical with that of Mr. Chamberlain, was carried after an amendment approving of Mr. Balfour's policy as set forth in his famous "half-sheet of note-paper" had been almost unanimously rejected, only two voting in its favour. Mr. Balfour stuck to his guns, however. He strongly urged the party to unite on that part of the policy of fiscal reform upon which they were all agreed—that is to say "Retaliation" and a. free Colonial conferenco—and to put aside for the time those parts on which they wore not agreed. That is to say, he urged them to adopt the Balfour programme, and for the present to jo the more definite and advanced mo of Mr. Chamberlain. Someone ejaculated that nine-tenths of the wore in agreement with Mr. Bal would have been more that nine-tenths were lain, But the Prime Mit equally appropriate in do. not want want the whol th ically opposed to that of Shamberlain, who at Birmingham the other day urged that their chances of success would be far greater if instead of trying to conciliate half-hearted supporters of fiscal reform they adopted a bold ud definite course, and told the country exactly what they meant. It will be very interesting to seo what course Mr. Chamberlain will advise fat the great meeting at Bristol. At present his supporters in the Press make ho secret of their bitter disppointmen with Mr. Balfour and their desire that Mr. Chamberlain should refuse to fall into line with him.
Mi. Balfour and his " Friends."
Almost as interesting as his declaration of the lines upon which he expected his followers to fight the election wera Mr. Balfour's references to the date of the election, and his' reply to Mr. Chamber-policy. of. running away from the fiscal "lobates in the Commons last Session. Mr. Balfour took the responsibility of that policy entirely on his own shoulders. Indeed he admitted that not only Mr. Chamberlain but some of his colleagues in the Cabinet in whose judgment he had the greatest confidence had only followed him with the utmost Felnetanco. But he defended hiis policy by the frank admission that to run away. was the only me of avoiding defeats, At the same time he vehemently protested that he was not afraid of the Opposition, for whom he had nothing but- scorn. was not afraid of the Opposition," he said, "I was afraid of my friends." This sentence has naturally been seized upon and turned to good account by the liberals. Of course a Prime Minister with a substantial nominal majority can never be defeated except. by the defect tion of his "friends," and Mr. Balfour's reason for running! away would therefore apply to every case where a Prime Mi ter had cause to fear defeat. But apart from this, the same reason may obviously be applied to Mr. Balfour's prosont attitude, He dare not pronounce definitely for either Free Trade or Protection because hens "afraid of his friends."
Whichever of these courses he adopted he would be bound to lose some of them, With regard to the General Election Mr, Balfour announced that it could not be far distant and " might be very close." This is generally taken as a hint that the Government may decide to resign or dissolve Parliament without waiting for reassembling. Their decision on this The attitude that Mr. Chamberlain adopts will probably depend largely. on
Tu any case it is taken for granted, and is indeed obvic low of the attitude of the Chamberlainites, that the General Election will not be deferred beyond March.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.