As we announced last week, the Duke of Devonshire has
joined the Free-trade Unionist organisation. We have dealt elsewhere with his letter to Sir Michael Hicks Beach stating that he was willing to join the League, and making certain conditions. We will only quote here the principal paragraphs of his letter. The Duke states that though opposing Mr. Chamberlain, he understands that the League's objects "do not involve opposition to the policy of the Government, so far as it is limited to the intention of reserving to themselves the right of proposing to Parliament tariff legislation for the purpose of the negotiation of commercial treaties and the mitigation of hostile tariffs." Having regard, however, "to the strongly Protectionist tendencies manifested at the recent Conference at Sheffield, to the present composition of the Government, and to the somewhat ambiguous declarations of the Prime Minister," he understands it will also be the object of the League "to exert all the influence it may possess for the purpose of restraining the future action of the Ciovernment within the limits above stated, and of assisting them to resist the pressure which may be brought to bear on them by some of their supporters to commit themselves in the direction of a Protectionist policy." The Duke's letter has, we regret to say, been taken as proof that he does not think it the duty of the Free-trade Unionists to oppose the present Government, but only Mr. Chamberlain. We cannot believe that this is the real intention of the Duke, or at any rate that he will persist in it if it is, for it is clear that though they do not push matters as far as Mr. Cham- berlain, all the Ministers who count are entirely in agreement with the Chamberlain policy.
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