Sir John Cockburn continues his wild career in West Mon-
mouth. He has refused to declare his allegiance to the head of the Government, and has announced that he will support "the greatest Colonial Minister the Empire has ever seen." This is, at any rate, frank; and we have the curious spectacle of a candidate, who has rejected every Conservative principle except one, appealing for, and receiving, the enthusiastic support of the supporters of the Government. Is it an unfair deduction that this one principle—to which, by the way, the Government declares it is not committed— is regarded by most people as the distinguishing mark of Government policy? Speaking at Tredegar on Wednesday, Mr. Lloyd-George asked very pertinently what Sir John Cockburn expected to do if he were returned. He was pledged to oppose the party on every point except Tariff Reform. If the Government kept its word, and did not meddle with Tariff Reform, Sir John would do his best to put it out of office. And then, as the Liberals were pledged to oppose Tariff Reform, he would do his best to defeat them. The system, if seriously followed, would end in political nihilism. " To go in for Tariff Reform and nothing else was like feeding a man upon gin, which was at best a purely artificial stimulus to keep the system going." Unionist Free-traders who objected to the Government's Licensing Bill were attacked in many quarters as traitors to Unionism, and Radicals at heart. But here is a candidate who opposes the Government on every point, though on one of them the views of the Government are known to be equivocal. It is a significant fact for those to consider who deny that the Government is in substance committed to Chamberlainism.
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