The Dominion. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1910. BRITISH POLITICS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 941, 7 October 1910, Page 4

The Dominion. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1910. BRITISH POLITICS.

~ During the past two months the cable news has reflected the comparative peace that has prevailed in British politics since the House rose for the autumn holiday.' This fact makes a special interest for the message of yesterday in which was given some remarkable, evidence of what seems to be a difficulty in the Unionist position. The "increasing unrest" in the party, we are told, has resulted in the banding together of a hundred Unionists in both Houses who have charged themselves with the task of "inducing the party leaders to take up more active propaganda work instead of relying on their present defensive policy." A plain and definite lead and a clear policy are asked for by the agitators, who make no secret of the fact that their chief anxiety is to have a Unionist Government in office when the Imperial Conference takes place in, June next. The "unrest" in the Unionist ranks, can hardly, be due'to any uncertainty as to the places of tariff reform and small ownership in ihe official Unionist programme, since, on both points Me.. Balfour has already given explicit assurances to his supporters. It may be nothing more than the impatience of zealots who do not really question the orthodoxy of their leaders i but who have grave doubts about 'their energy, and who have been led, by the contrast between their own keenness and the pacific air of their friends, to suppose that everything they cherish is lapsing into paralysis. Nothing is more! certain, however, than that if the Prime Minister announces, next, month the final of the Conference on the constitutional issue, the fighting will begin without a moment's delay.. V -Considerations 'of tactics' enter, so. largely into every one of the controversies dividing the parties' that;it is extremely difficult to say of any particular speech or move of any kind that it is what it appears. to be. This has, of course made' .the past year exceptionally interesting, to those who have had time to. give minute attention to the progress of events, but it must be rather a nuisance" to. most .people. It is difficult to know what really is \behind the new Unionist agitation. It is difficult to know Hhe face value of such statements as that of a leading Unionist organiser for whom the Morning Fostoi.' August' 24 provided a prominent place in which to complain that the party was "plunged into a hideous political stagnation." "If may be said," he added, "that the Liberal party is ho better off in this respect than - we are. : I can only say that the truce is alike demoralising and paralysing' ,to party effort." In the meantime -the Conference is' meeting occasion-, ally, and the newspapers on both sides ■ are laying .down such ■ limits to compromise as will ensure,- that the'. Conference will be ineffective. The'latest speech, of importance of which we have record is, that ■'. delivered by Sir Edward Grey at Berwick on August 25. He spoke of the Conference with proper respect and declared.that more people would be disappointed if no agreement were reached than would be discontented if a compromise wore'arranged. But that this was only lip-service' was quite apparent from his observation that "he was one of those who would much rather see a \ thing -settled by consent and agreement'• provided he got; his own way,"' and also from the firm language in ..which he restated the Liberal position. "Let them be quite sure that,, so far'as they on the Liberal side were concerned, some settlement of : the House of Lords question -which would prevent them from being placed again in tho position in which they were placed in 1906 of finding themselves with a large majority and yet unable. to overcome the deadlock be-, tweeh the House of Commons ; and the House of Lords—some such settlement was, politically speaking, a matter of life and .death to; the .Liu eral party. They had pledged themselves that they would not drop the House of .Lords question, that they would not continuo in bifice without settling that question or bringing it to a head. That pledge, made before the-last election, held just as ■ good to-day as it did then." We cannot see,' nor, we think, does anybody else see, how any generally satisfactory compromise, can be effected. A general election is certain to be required, and the main point in doubt is whether it will take place before or after ; the Coronation. jNo doubt the Liberals ' would be willing to postpone_ the settlement of the constitutionaMssue.if doing so would enable their Government to dominate the Imperial Conference, but it, is. not at all clear how .Mb. Asquith can avoid dealing ; with that issue as soon as the Conference has come, to a conclusion.' Is the Conference to sit on and on? That is the question that the restless Unionists must be asking themselves and their demand for action 'on fthe part of their, leaders is probably intended to assist in bringing the Conference sittings to an end. .','■'.''■:-'•