IMPERIAL POLITICS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2678, 7 December 1909, Page 5

IMPERIAL POLITICS.

If SPEECH BY SIR EDWARD GREY. United Press Association—Copyright. ■ (Received, December 6, 8.55 a.m.) LONDON, Dec. 5. Sir Edward Grey, Minister for Foreign Affairs, addressing three -thousand Liberals of Leith County, said they were in for the greatest fight for generations. The 'Government might have fought the Lords on education. They were justified in remaining in office because they saved the country great damages in South, Africa, and established a scheme of army reform which had appealed'to the whole country and enlisted its spirit in sup port of the voluntary principle. Now the fight had come there was no choice but to fight it through, and he was glad there was no choice. He continued:— i “When the Lords in 18S4 obstructed the franchise they recoiled, owing to the country’s rising • indignation. Now, however, no retreat is possible. There is no .for repentance. The Lords have burned their boats. 'The Liberals are determined to assert for ever the Commons’ •to be uncontrolled in regard to 'finance, to assert the Liberal Government’s right to hold office on fair terms, having a House of Lords responsive to the feeling of the country,tor, if unreformed, some mutual settled arrangement ensuring that the will of the Commons will in the :long run prevail.’ Referring “to Lord Curzon’s idea of -reforrii of Hie House of Lords, to make it a smaller body of superior persons chosen by themselves, Sir Edward Grey added: — “There can be no real reform unless the hereditary principle is abolished, and popular election substi- - tuted.” (Loud cheers.) The Wine and Spirit Association and Wholesale Tobacconist Protection Assocation have agreed to pay duties during the interregnum. AN ANARCHISTIC PROPOSAL. The Radical newspaper, “Nation,” calls upon hundreds of thousands of Englishmen to refuse to pay taxes ishoukl the Government he overthrown :at the election. A National Democratic League demonstration of 7000 people in Trafalgar Square protested against the Lords’ •rejection of the Budget. Dr Clifford and a dozen Liberal and Labor members were the chief speakers. : Many banners were carried. The effigy of a peer paraded consisted of a turnip cut into the likeness of a face with a paper crown, carried on a red-robed pole, labelled’ “The firstborn.” It created merriment and boo-hooing. THE LABOR PARTY IRRECONCILIABLE. Mr A. Henderson, Labor member for Barnard Castle, in the course of a •speech at Sheffield; indignantly denied being any party to an arrangement for •not contesting seats against Liberals. The election was only expected m 1911, and the Labor party simply took •the standpoint that, owing to the need of organisation and money, they were am able in some cases, to fight successfully. Therefore some few candidates had been withdrawn. There was-no ■proposal from the other side for a deal. Mr. Pease’s suggestion to have such an arrangement implied surrender, namely the withdrawal of nearly all new can-' • didates. Needless’ to say, that would not he done. If the Liberals were anxious to avoid, hopeless contests they should follow the Labor party’s ex- - ample. The Primate, the Most Rev. Francis Bourne (Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster), Lord Cromer, Lord Ave'bury, Lord Balfour of Burleigh, Lord Courtney, Lord Cecil, and Dr Clifford, and others, have issued a manifesto to the electors, showing the advantages of proportional representation. Mr. Cherry, thanking his constituents for their past support, declared -that they would never have a loyal Empire until they placed complete control in the hands of "the people. # Mr Winston Churchill, speaking at Preston, said the. Liberal Party did not intend to undertake the burdens of Government again unless full and effective powers were given them.

OPTIMISTIC SPEECH BY MR. h ASQUITH.

(Received December 6, 9.45 p.m.) LONDON, Dec. 6.

Mr. Asquith, representing Mr. Win- : ston Churchill, speaking at the \Ves Scotland Iron and Steel Institute, as one who had access to the statistics of the world, he had every reason to hope, that the period of ' pression would rapidly pass away. i± believed that there would be a most marvellous improvement in trade during 1910. The question of employment would bulk largely in .the coming election.

MANIFESTO BY THE LABOR PARTY.

The Labor Party manifesto states • that the great 4 question is Whether the Peers or the people are to rule. welcomes the opportunity to prove that the feudal age is past and that the people are no longer willing to live on the sufferance of the Lords The pre sent system of land ownership, ;; say s the manifesto, has devastated the^eoi^side, imposed heavy burdens on mclus tries cramped' the development of r-lowns, crippled, capital, .and in^ove^ . islied Jabor. The ,experience ot four

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years has demonstrated the value of* the Labor Party acting independently. The right to work has still to be won, but is now within the range of practical politics. The poor law must be broken up,/; pauperism abolished, old age pensions extended, and increased onkthe: present mon-contributory basis, franchise restrictions must be swept away. The manifesto concludes by saying that the working middle classes are still overburdened Avitli rates and taxes. “Vote for Labor candidates, the'land for the people, wealth for the wealth producers, down with privilege, up with the people.”