[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] Sta,—Mr. Bonar Law in
his speech at Ashton-under-Lyne, explaining why his party have decided to cancel Mr. Balfour's pledge, given at the last election, that before Tariff Reform became law it should be submitted to a Referendum, says, " It would not be fair to submit their proposal (as to Imperial Preference and Tariff Reform) to a Referendum after a con- ference with the colonies had been held." It seems to me there is no reason to do so. Let him alter his proposed pro- cedure. Should the Unionist Party be in a position to form a Government, let Mr. Sonar Law and the Government ask the people to decide if a conference with the colonies should be held to consider Preference and Tariff Reform on certain lines. If the vote of the people is in favour of holding such a conference, the Government can then go straight ahead, and there would be no need to submit the decision of such a conference to another poll of the people. I believe with those whose excellent letters have appeared during the last fortnight in the Spectator, that unless the people have a chance of voting directly on this question the result of any election cannot prove satisfactory. There need, of course, be no reason why, if the majority of the people were not in favour of the summoning of such a conference as Mr. Bonar Law suggests, the Government itself should
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