questions,
irrespective
of whether
a
new
Government
has
or has
not
at that
mo-
ment assumed
office’’.
There
is nothing
to prevent
the Hcuse
of Commors,
if
it
chooses,
hie adds
'‘from
sending
to
tie
Crown
an address
in reply to the gracious
speech,
which if it expresses
want
of
confidence
in His Majesty’s
present
Min-
isters,
also records its repudiation of So
cialism’’.
In
eonclusion
Mr.
Churchili
says
‘‘watehing
a long series
of disas-
trous
and purposeless
party rallies, which
*have
marked and
are
siill makingz
the
progressiv?
degeneration
of our affairs,
{
feel
bound
to place
on record
a
warninyg
of
tte dangers
into which
we
arve
drift-
ing and
io point
out
a
means
whereby,
in accordinee
wi:h the
wish of the great
majority of electors
and
in
full harmony
with the spivit of the .constitution,
these
~
dangers
can,
even
at
the
eleveuth
hour,
be avoided.”’
London,
Jan,
18th.—Although
Mr.
Cuurchili’s open
lecter,
in which
he
says
the
advent
of
a
Socialist
Government
will baa
‘‘serious national
misforiune,”’
at the
same
time deploring
a Liberal
La-
bourite
agreemens:,
receives
mueh
utten-
tion
‘rom the
newspapers
this
mc ning,
it cannot
judgiag from
their
comments,
pe regarded
as
a political bombsheil
that
threatens
to
altcr
the
outlook.
M.
Churchill,
defeated
at
the
recent
elec
tions, i 3 still a
very
prominent
member
of tho
Liberal
Pacty
and
his
in‘erven
tion
1¢ manifestly
unweicome
to rhe
loy A
sup.orters
of
Mr.
Asquith
while
it
1s
naturally greeted
with the
utniost
satis-
faction
by
the
anti-Labourites.
How-
ever,
the regrets
of the
former
and
tne
gratification
of
the
latter
are
mudifi
d
oy
a
feeling
that
the
letter
comes
to
late.
One speculation
that
will certaio-
ly
arise
from fits publieation
1s waether
Mr. Churehiil
18
prepacing
the
way
(o
ra-affiliate
himself
with
the
Conserva-
tives whom he left in IyJ6.
The possibii-
ity-of his
taking such
a
step
has
oiten
peen
the subject
of gossip
in
interested
quarters.
The
Daily
Mail recails
that
when he
was recentiy approached
on
the
subject
of re-entering
Pariament
Mr.
Churchill was quoted
as
saying
that
as
long as the Issue
was
not protection
ver-
sus free trade,
he
would
under
no
cir-
cumstances
stand against
a
conservative
candidate
anywhere.
The
Daily
lLelo
graph and the
Daily
Mail,
both
strong
" oppoaents
of the
Labjur
administration
and
of- Asquithian
support
of
iadbour’s
‘aspirations,
warmly
com:mnend
the
jetter
asserting
that
no
one
hitherto
has
pre-
sented
so
admirable
the
gravity of the
'~ situation before
the
couniry
as
does
Mr.
Churchill.
These
newspapars
also
think
the letter shows
thare
is still one
man
in
Great Britain who hus
a
ganuing
capaci-
ty
for
leadership.
The Ljoeral
press
comments
with surprise
at this
eruption
by
a prominent Liberal into ihe situation
planned
and ordered
by his nomina:
lead-
er Mr. Asquith.
she Daily Chronicie
ex-
‘presses regret and concein
A Idiag
“‘per-
ST (i
¥.S
Laps
the
fairest
-commeant
would
be
to
cay that in his absorption
with tactics
of
the situaticn
Mr.
Churchill
seems
per-
haps
to have missed
its
realities.””
The
Westminster
Gazette
considers
the
let-
ter very remarkabl=,
but tnat ‘‘the panie
fears of a labour.G®ernment
he
expres-
ses will leave the Liberals generally
men-
tally undisturbed.
His letter
in reality
is a plea for union
with the
Conservative
forces
and
any such
urien
would
be
sui-
cidal
to liberalism
™’
London,
Jan.
18:h —ln th» resump’ion
of
the
debate
on
the
speech
from
the
Throne
today Mr. Thomus,
the
Riilway-
men’s Secretary
alluding briefly to inter:
nationa!
connections
of
the British
la-
bour Party.
He said
that
party
did
not
regret
and
was
not
going
to
ap.logiz?
for its assceiation
with the international-
istg,
Deulivg
with
Great
Britain’s
{or-
eign policy,
Mr. Thomas
said
“"We
have
been
asked
how
we
are
goiag
to
deal
with France.
God forbid that
any ol our
words
should
be construed
that
we
are
anxious
to
break
with
[France
or
tilk
about war.” ‘‘Hewever’ he added
° real
fricnd-h'p
did
not
cons
st in
pretendinyz
that all
was
weil,
waen
a#t
was
not.”’
He
condemnod
Franee’s
attitude
on
the
reparations
ques
ion
a d said
that
when
France
was
foilowing th2
wroagz
pith
an! headinz
for disaster,
she cusht
1o be
told so.
He declared
that because
«f the
British
Government’s
vasciihating
for-
eign policy, France
was treating the
for:
mer with conterapt,
Mr.
Neviile
Gham-
heriain,
Chancelior
of
thz2
Exchequer,
following Mr
Thoemas,
struck
2
note of
defiance
to the Libera
s whe
propoese
sup
poriing
Labour
onthe
vo'e
of
no
con-
fidence
on
Mouday.
Mr,
(eurchill
od
o
the
Liberals.
We
are
asking
nothing
froin
you.
We
moake
no
bargain
with
.you.
We
loint
out
to yeu that your choice
is
berween
a
party
whose
programme
you prociain
to
be
a
re"asnh
of
your
own
and
a party
which stands
to
destroy
liberalism
and
allit stands
for.
You will
vste
for
So
cialism
on Monday and it wiil he en
your
own heads
if
you
are
ground
to
pieces
later cn.”’
Barbados,
Jan.
19th.—
Mr.
John
R.
Bovell, I. S. O.
Director
of
Agriculture,
the Barbados
delegate
to the
Agr cultur-
a! Cenference
as
Jamaicn,
saiied
fer
that
island yesterday
afterncon
by
the
S.
S
Corenado.
London,
Jan.
19:h.—
Mr.
Chambeilain
begged
Labour
not
to dismiss
basti'y
the
proposals
in connection
with the Imperi-
al preference
out 0f
uny pecantic
theory.
He emphasized
the enormous
inportance
of Dominion
trade,
Istancirg
how
pre-
ference
had
stimulated
Great
Britain’s
trade
with Australiaz.
Labour
must
re-
member,
he
said,
that
the
preference
proposals
were in the
nature
ol a
moral
gesture
and that the
direction
in
which
that gesture
was mazde might
affect very
seriously
the future
attitude of the
Do-
minions
toward
Great
DBritain.
Mr.
Thomas
intervened
to ask
if
she
Con-
cervatives
had
dropped §protection.
My,
(Chamberlain
replied that it
was
obviovs
from
the King's speech
that
rrotecticn
would
not be
a
part of
the
pregramme
of the
present
Government, if it contis-
ued in power.
Tl
Lendon,
Jan.
18th.—In conneetion
with
his
declaration
that
lLabout was
not
go-
ing to
apologize for its
association
with
Internationdlists,
Mr.
Thomas
recalled
that after
the
war
a
conference
was
held
in which
representatives
of all
the belli-
cerent
nations
took
part
and that
each
delegate
had
spoken
of
the sufiering
anu
misery
his
country
experienced.
Fron
that
date,
Mr.
Thomas
declared,
they
a1
resolved
to spare
no
etforis” which
could
give to the
werld
and
to
civiliza
tiona
common
organization
which
would
brinz poople together
and
help them
-
derstand
each
other,
he
said
the
moie
diilicuit
it would
be for other
peeple
to
plir ge
them
into
war.
I.on ton,
Jan,
18:h.—The
wmost delighit-
ed
person
in the Houze
of
Commons
yes-
terday,
when
Mr. Asqguith
mide
his -
umphant
speech,
washhis
almost
equally
famous wife, who could scarcely
restrain
her delight and
with difficuity neld
back
her
apgplause
as
the
ex-Premicr
made
his
tellins
points.
Mrs. Asquith
was
seated
in the plage
in the
ladies
gallery,
which,
nearly
halfa
century
ago,
used
to
be
occunied
by
Mrs.
Gladstone
when
her
calebrated
husbard
made
his great
ora
tions.
Among
those
who
also
listened
with eazer
interest
to Mr. Asquith
were
tha
Prince
of Wales
and
the
Duke
of
York,
both of whowm
showed
annsed
ap
preciation
at
the sallies
of the
man
who
was Britain’s
Prime
Mirister
when
wa
brok2
out.
Mr.
Asquith’s
speech
-was
admitted
to be
one
of
the
finest
he
hy
ever
delivered
and
it eertainly
had
the
effvet of
convering
any
doubdting
Liber-
als
whoy
were
elected
alter
a
straight
fizht
at the
pells
against
Labour
men,
but
who almost
toa
man
wiil
vote
on
Monday
evening
with
Labour.
The
number
of
the
Liberals
who
will
vote
with
their
party
bhas
now
dwindied
to
about
five and
this
is largely
dioe
to
Mr,
Asquith’s efforts.
London,
Jan.
18th.--The
Duchess
of
Athol, one of the
newly
eected
women
members
of
the
House
of
Commons,
made
what
was generaliy
considered
an
auspicious
debut as’a debater
on
the floor
of the
House today.
Her maiden
speech
referred
mainly
to
the
Government’s
professed
intention
to amend
the
law
re-
lating
to
maintenance
-and
separation
orders,
in marital cases,
and
othsar
mea-
sures of special
interest
to
women.
The
Duchess
urged
the need for accelerating
the naval shipbuilding
programme,
ejipe-
cially
in
view
of the depression
in the
shipbuildirng
irade.
She
said she
longed,
however,
to see
wars cease
throughout
the world and wou*d infinitely rather
see
expenditures
on merchaat
shipping,
than
or ships of war,