Mr. Ritchie addressed a meeting of his constituents at Croydon
on Friday week. The late Chancellor of the Exchequer prefaced his able, courageous, and candid speech by a generous tribute to his late colleagues. Turning to the new policy, which as Chancellor of the Exchequer he- would have had to carry out, he complained that it had been launched on the country by the Colonial Secretary without any examination into it or consultation upon it, and in defiance of his own clearly expressed defence of one-sided Free-trade in 1882. Mr. Ritchie then made the important disclosure that when he suggested the removal of the is. Corn-tax as unnecessary and liable to mis- representation, Mr. Chamberlain desired it should be retained, while preference should be given to the Colonies. This Mr. Ritchie resolutely opposed, on the ground that you could not stop at ls., and if it were given to Canada you could not stop at Canada, and on a threat of resignation carried his point with the Cabinet. Mr. Ritchie, who had been persistently interrupted by a hostile section amongst the audience, con- cluded by referring to the circumstances of his resignation. The Times had stated that other Ministers concluded at their last Cabinet meeting that Mr. Chamberlain had resigned. In reply to this, he declared that he and two of his colleagues whom he had consulted had no idea before September 17th either that the preferential treatment would be abandoned or that Mr. Chamberlain would resign.
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