On Wednesday a very significant step NM taken by the
Free tradeor Free-food Unionist Members of Parliament, as they are beginning to be called owing to their condemnation of the proposed Food-taxes. Under the chairmanship of Mr. Henry Hobhouse, the widely respected Liberal Unionist M.P. for East Somerset, the party met and heard the speeches from Sir Michael Hicks Beach and Lord Goschen with which we have dealt elsewhere. The weight and influence of the Members assembled may be gathered from the names of the movers of the various resolutions :—Mr. W. F. D. Smith and Sir C. B. Renshaw, Sir Samuel Hoare and Mr. Heywood Johnstone, Mr. Tritton and Mr. R.. J. Lucas. The main resolution was as follows :—" That, in furtherance of the inquiry proposed by his Majesty's Ministers into our fiscal system, a Committee be appointed to examine the probable effect of the suggested changes on the unity of the Empire and the social and industrial welfare of the United Kingdom—both of which objects this meeting earnestly desires to promote—and to take steps for placing before the country the objections enter- tained by this meeting to Protective taxation upon our imports of food." The chairman chosen to preside over the Com- mittee was Sir Michael Hicks Beach. It is clear, how- ever; that if the agitation and organisation in favour of Mr. -Chamberlain's schemes continue things cannot stop here, and the Free-trade Unionists' Committee must form some sort of League or Union, and organise in the con- stituencies. They are right, however, to postpone this step as long as they can.
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