THE IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT.

Otago Witness, Issue 2861, 13 January 1909, Page 27

THE IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT.

ITS TRIALS AND DIFFICULTIES. (Fhom Ovr Own Correspondent.) LONDON, November 27. If its actual achievements had not been so courageous, one might be tempted to g-ay that rashness and not pluck had brought the Liberal Government to^ts present pa&s. • During thp last month or two troubles have multipl'dd thick and fast, and to-day one- ' half of the country is expecting dissolution, whilo the oher half is clamouring for it. And the Ministry looks neither to right nor left, but just staggers along. First of all there was the Education Bill. It w<is quite hopeless to expect that the original measure would ever pass, and at the end of last week, after consultation with the authorities of the Church of England, liie (jJovernvn-c-nt brought down a new measure, a compromise which, although not , sufficient to pass both Houses wichout a, struggle, effectively disarmed the Opposition and compelled' them to change their front. In his last attack on the Educa- ( tion Bill yesterday, before the second reading wa* carried by 523 rotes to 157, Mr Balfour bitterly resented the measure, which he regarded as the outcome of a compact between the Government and the ■ Archbishop of Canterbury, under -which the latter pledged himself to withhold his encouragement — in fact, to discourage strongly any subsequent attempt of a futuia Government to deal still more effectually with the question. The Roman Catholic Hierarchy of Westminster decided 1 that the j sum proposed to be allocated to Roman Catholic --chooln was quite inadequate, and e;en with their personal contributions it would be impossible to compete with the ratp-buili and rate-maintained Protestant institution^. Moreoier. though the Roman Catholic^ had never asked for separate treatment, tha fondirions now imposed compelled them to stand apart, since otherwise they would Lave, to acrept teachers not j npc^s-jrily of the Roman Caihohc faith, j The lush Nationalist \oted against the second reading. Disarmed on thc> education issue, the Conservative party lias conconrrated ita criticism on the Licensing Bill and the defence question. Here they have the powerful asaihtance of the Hou^e of Lords, a body which has never flinched, in fare of the angry remonstrances which followed the rejection of Mr Birrell's Education j Bill, and in face of the growing determination both in the House of Commons and amongst a minority of its own members, to bring about some reform in its constitution. The Unionist peers, who pretty well con- t trol the House of Lords, met a few days ago and definitely decided that the bill should not be allowed to proceed. When i the second 1 leading debate was resumed yesterday the Archbiehop of Canterbury, leaning heavily upon a stick, but speaking plainly and forcibly, said he desired to j »upj,ort the meaauie. Lord Lansdcwne, ho I said had mentioned his rooted objection to the principle*, but lie considered it right , and sound in the mam. He appealed to the Hou.-e not to disappoint those men , and women who weie hour by hour brought j face to face with misery, weakness, disease, j and sin, and who were looking to the Lords j for a. chctung v.ord of hope. He claimed j that the opposition was not widespread, | beyond those financially interested. Lord > Halsbury supported the Archbishop, and , Lotd Rccebery declared that he supported j the bill without the slightest doubt or I hesitation. He warned his brother peei6 , that nothing could be more suicidal for pioperty than to identify it with an annual license. "I am not a Socialist, thank God." he cried, "but if I wore, nothing would gi\e me greater pleasure than this . identification of property with an annual ; license." Lord Ro»ebery made a strong ! appeal for the measure. He wanted to see England free ar.d sober, and to do away j with the dcgiadmg drunkenness which was the curse of the nation. In the middle of all these worii<?s, which have palpably had their effect on the health of the X'rlaie Minister, Lord Roberts created x

* another diversion by sounding an alarm on. the score of national defence. In spite of a?uruiO93 to the contrary, the most respectable politicians in England are convinced that there is to be a day of reckoning for England and Germany, and Lord Roberls's warning has stirred up public opinion considerably. He said it was a fact that if an enemy landed on these shores they would ' ccmo with the determination of aiming » blow at the heart, and it* they got into London England would fall for ever. Ouf ciedit would be discredited for ever, and wa could never hope to be a Gre.it Power nftervards. We should lose everything we possessed in the world, the indemnity we should be called upon to pay would cripple us for ever, our fleet would probably be taken away from us, and our colonies would I"ass away. The training of the able-bodied men of ihis country into an organised and proper force Avould prevent that being 1 thought of, and would settle the question for ever. When Mr Haldane began his Territorial Army scheme he laid down that it would ensure a reserve force in this country from 800,000 to 900,000 men. The boys of our schools were to be educated in military matters as far as that was possible, and all rifle corps were to be kxw-d* after by the County Association. By degrees every one df thoeo things dwindled down and the boys were altogether dropped. The rifle corps were forgotten and forbidden, and instead of 800,000 or 900,0C0 men Mr Haldane had brought his figure down to 350,000. Mr Haldane, making his reply at a meeting of the City Liberal Club, said there was no givttor fallacy than to suppose thai, the Govornment h.id reduced the regular line. They had far more than compensated for any changes by providing tti-e Special Rosers - e, and to-day we could mobiii&e a jjveater force than at any time in our history. Then there was the second line, which -was getting its recruits oven in this --lead season slowly and steadily. There 'vas n. debute in t.he Hoxiee of Lords on Monday, and if the Go\einment were to act on the resolutions then submitted they would simply uproot and destroy the whole of the work they had been endeavouring to do in 'he construction of the CitizenArmy. The providing of a compulsory army of a million men in this country, if they were paid for and provisioned at the rate of the Territorials, would cost a trifle of about 20 millions. All he pleaded lor was a little quiet — not to take leisure, but to pursue with the utmost diligence to its concisions the policy which Parliament bad sanction ?d. and which tho nation had ; dehbeiately adopted, but which would be very much interfered with if we were to change horses in the Aery middle of the stream. The only bright spot in the sky of theGovernment to-day is the inexplicable lull ' in the activity of the Suffragists. For no reason whatever, except, perhaps, that some of then- leaders are still in gaol, the women, who harried the Government in their, strongholds are for th 9 moment quiet. , Indeed. just now it is the other side which is being heard mest. The i Women's National Anti-Suffrage League held a rally a few days ago, when the Countess of Jersey, who presided, congratulated the organisation on its great; strength and steadily growing numbers. '"Our own experience," ehe 9aid, " showa that the vast majority resents the attempt to thrust upon them such a burden as votes for women. Some people are irerely indifferent. They simply cay, 'If women want this thing, by all means give the dear things the -\ote to play with.'" Lady Jer«e\ was. eager to impress upon her hearnri that a \ote was something ranch too s-n-ious a thing to be plnyodl with. Jn thj 'ourse of a icng life sno had been oroutrht into contact with all classes of women— white women, black women, br.)w»i women, and yellow women. If every one of those women had done the work that lay to her hand to the best of her energy, ehe would h*ve little time or inclination to mix herself up in direct pol'tics. "Let u« resist this effort," continued Lady Jersey. "' to break up cur pomes and our'ffstni'.n , ;iwl lot us place ourselves in Ihs proud position of being able to use oui inmost for our homes, our surroundinn*, and ihe Empire at large"