Mr. Asquith addressed a large Liberal meeting at South- ampton
on Monday. Dealing with the Premier's complaint against his commentators, Mr. Asquith observed that Mr. Balfour had this unique advantage over the ancient classics, that " he could criticise his own critics, and if he pleased amend and expurgate his own text; but the duty of furnishing the world with an authoritative translation was left to Mr. Chamberlain, who supplied what schoolboys called a crib.' " Mr. Asquith noted the significant fact that Mr. Chaplin's full-blooded Protectionist resolution had not been repudiated by the Prime Minister or any member of the Government. Indeed, when Mr. Balfour suggested the Fiscal Conference he acknowledged that Retaliation by itself was no longer a possible programme for what had become a Pro- tectionist party. Mr. Asquith contended that there was not the slightest occasion for Retaliation, because it could not be shown that we suffered specially from hostile tariffs ; but if we did adopt it, it would not be effective unless we had a ready-made all-round tariff, like all the other Protectionist countries. This involved as inevitable results, (I) tariff warfare with all its attendant evils; (2) the retention, for Protective purposes, of duties originally put on for Retaliation; and (3) the creation of the Trust system. The peculiar value of Mr. Asquith's mis- sionary exertions resides in the fact that he is not content with merely preaching Free-trade in the abstract. He follows closely in the track of Protectionist speakers, and supplies antidote to the bane on the spot where the mischief has been done. It is a great service to a cause which, properly under- stood, is the cause of the nation.
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