SPECTATOR SUMMARY.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 83, 9 April 1910, Page 12

SPECTATOR SUMMARY.

(For Week Ending Saturday, 19th February, 1910.) CABINET CHANGES. The changes in the Cabinet caused by the appointment of Mr. Herbert (ilaristone to the Governorship of tiouth Africa were announced on Tuesday, and proved entirely utiseiisatiuuul. Mr. Winstou Churchill, who had been marked out for promotion by his energy, goes to the Home Office, and is succeeded at the Board of Trade by Mr. Sydney Buxton. Mr. Buxtons administration of the Pott Office hat been marked by progress and efficiency, and hit preferment to a more important office is welcomed as * fitting recognition of his services. Mr. Samuel, * hard-working and able official, becomes Postmaster-Gen-eral, and the vacancy thus created at the Duchy of Lancaster is filled by the inclusion of Mr. J. A. Pease in the Cabinet, the Master of Elibank succeeding him as Chief Whip. GREECE AND THE PRESS. M. Venezelo, the Cretan politician who was acting as deus ex machina«« few days ago in the critical. affwn of Greece, returned from Crete to Athent on Monday, and onco more began" to inspire the Military League with new and strange ideas. The Athena correspondent of The Times says that on Tuesday morning only three newspapers appeared. TheMilitary League had forbidden the issue of any newspapers opposed to the idea of a National Assembly. In consequence several editors asked the Prime Minister to plead with the league to leave the press some small remnant of independence. The league rejected the advice of the Prime Minister, who is, after all, only the creature of the league The next step was for the troops of the league to take possession of the newspaper offices, and the editors thereupon agreed unanimously to advocate a National Assembly. Their unanimity will no doubt be very impressive in the ryes of all who have uot heard of the Military League. We fancy that the league has by this time not onfv lost all its popularity, but is generally and ardently detested. A SPANISH RADICAL. In the middle of last week tho prolonged disagreements in the Spanish Cabinet ended, in the fall of Senor Moret. The King was advised by those whom he consulted that it was desirable to keep the Liberal party in power, and he therefore entrusted the well-known Liberal, Senor Canaleias, with the doty of forming a new Cabinet. Senor Canalejat hat for tome time been the strongest nun in the Democratic party, and he w associated vrith a vehement AntiClerical policy. Tho fall of Seuor Moret i* attributed by the traditional Liberals, The Times correspondent says, to the disgust caused by his alliance with the Republicans; but Senor Moret's friends consider that he was the victim of intrigue. Seuor Canalejat in a conversation with The Times correspondent on Friday week said that he was uncomRromising on the burning questions of to Church and educational reform. He further said that he proposes to apply the theory of unearned increment to land, and to establish old-age pensions on a contributory basit. Much of his social programme will be contained in the Budget, which ho regards as an "adi mirablo vehicle for reform." Wo fmr that he is following a particularly bad example, but none the less we sincerely hope that he will be able to carry on the (Mvornmcnt with less internal friction than his predecessor experienced. Tho Liberal principle* of Senor Moret seem at least to have guided tho country through a very difficult time with some success. "POOLED CONSCIENCES." Lord Rosebery presided at the dinner given to Mr. Harold Cox by tho British Constitution Association on Tuesday and delivered a remarkable speech. The party system was based on this, that while every man had a conscience, or was presumed to have * conscience, the party pooled bit conscience, and when any individuality was not prepared to do this " he wac expelled at grit hindering the oily working of the machine.' He appealed to Lord Halsbury to confirm his view that in former years, even up to 1885, there was so much independence inherent in Parliament that when • vote of want of confidence was brought against the Government you could hardly tell how it would go. This teemed a moment when people of reason and common-tense might combine in common-tense interests to do something for the welfare of the coun try instead of recording an indolent and silent vote nt » general election. Coming to the question of the Second Chamber, Lord Rosebery declared that if the veto of the .House of Lords .vas to be abolished without reform, the Government proposals were doomed to absolute and irretrievable disaster at the hands of the country. He strongly supported the scheme of a Royal Commission to enquire into tho question of Free-trado v. Tariff Reform, as one on which the silent voters in the country might concentrate. PARTY VERSUS FREEDOM. Mr. Harld Cox, in his reply, dtclared that under tho bi-pttrty system fieedora of debate was impossible in the Commons, and as long as it continued co long would the country bo compelled to obey taws which it had never approved. The system was really not one of national telf. government, but of alternating tyranny. Formerly each part v bribed voters directly, now modern politicians had evolved a much more expensive system of bribery at the expense of the taxpayer. Ho welcomed the formation ol the Labour Parly as a symptom of revolt, but unfortunately it was based upon a false conception of whsit Labour was, and ignored the fact that all people who laboured had not tho tamo instincts, conviction*, or prejudices. A Labour Party had no meaning except to fur is it was a Socialist Parly, and a* such it wa» an obstacle to progress. The important thing was not io try to create more parties in the House of Commons, but to try to organise the vast mass of middle opinion outside the House of Common*. They could not get a better conception of the true role of Parliament than that happily indicated by the Scot's minister in the prayer lie used every Sunday : n And lastly, my britheren. let us pray for the High Court of .Patliamcnt that it winni do ony harm."

Wellington secretaries who all enjoyed Mr. J. P. Corhrane's company when he visited the city some rhorrtns back, will be pleased to learn that he is a candidate in the Labour interest' in the byelection for the Darling Harbour seat in the New South Wales Parliament, and hopes to give up his *ecretary*liip of the Sydney Trades Council for duty in the legislative halls of the State. Owing to the aient nmouiit of nit brought down the river during recent flood*, a conniderahlo ahoalinK has taken place in parts of Newcastle harbour (remark* tho NvwccnHu II«rald). It in said that two of tlitv north harbour buoy* weie now practically utcloM for loaded mwU, •nH tho north channel hn« al*o ron*id«»rably khoaled. The shoaling in the north harbour i» a particularly >criou* inattrr, at, owing; to th» strike, th» dredge* lia\e not been working tor th« patt thrte infißtb*.