July 5.
THE biggest political sensation of the year is the open letter, briefly reported by cable, in which Lord Salisbury advises the withdrawal of the Conservative Party from the Government. Were it followed, and the prevalent dissatisfaction among the ranks seems to indicate that such a move would be more than usually popular, it would mean the wrecking of the Coalition, the failure of the government, and, most certainly, a general election. The 1918 elections saw the Coalition return to power with a majority of 249 in the House of Commons, the figures being Coalition 478 and Non-Coalition 229, the two parties being made up as' follows Liberals 133 Labour Conservatives
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.