[To THE EDITOR Or THE "SPECTATOR. - } Sin,—Having been an active
supporter of the Liberal Party for many years, but feeling nowadays out of touch with its present programme, I read your article in last week's Spectator upon the proposed Central Party with very consider. able interest and also instruction. I find myself in the position of a man who has taken his share in the duties of citizenship, but who is now being led by his party into an uncertain and unknown wilderness. I remained with the Liberal Party through the Home-rule crisis, although opposed to Home-rule itself, but continuing to support the party upon general grounds of Liberalism. I was also utterly out of accord with the extreme Pro-Boer idea during the late war. But I now feel that the period has arrived when years of continuous ties of party, both political and personal, must be at length broken. The craven pandering to Socialism and Labour by the Govern- ment of to-day, notwithstanding its numerically mighty, but withal timid, majority, is a veritable object of disgust. I would rather continue to be dominated by a mainly hereditary House of Lords, even of a non-representative character, than place myself under the heel of Socialism as preached by its apostles in the market-place. But, quite apart from the general upheaval of our existing national and industrial conditions, the mere estimate of cost of the Socialistic programme is sufficiently appalling to cause any man taking due interest in public finance to pause. The cup is filled. " Why, then, don't you join the Unionist Party ? " might be asked. The reply is, that I equally abhor Tariff Reform, or any other dangerous legislative inter- ference with our existing industrial methods. The Centre Party, therefore, offers an inducement and an opportunity to continue in public life in support of a policy which I believe to be more beneficial to the country. The formation of a new party is a colossal undertaking indeed. Still, the Government's policy of to-day renders the project, although admittedly difficult, by no means impossible of accomplishment. I trust, however, if the suggestion of a Centre Party should gather strength, that the new party will set itself to combat vigorously the selfish and sectional movement called " Labour" which is domineering the weak-kneed politicians of both our existing great parties.—I am, Sir, &c.,
LIBERAL.
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