Liberal Candidatures Sir Charles Hobhouse, obviously recognizing that the Liberal
Party cannot expect large numbers of victories at the next General Election, tried to persuade the Executive of the National Liberal Federation, on Wednesday, that the Party should confine its energies to that comparatively small number of constituencies where it has a prospect of victory. That policy might have the effect of preserving a few more seats for Liberalism than it could otherwise secure. It might strengthen the little band for one more Parliament. But in the long run it would inevitably destroy any prospect of that large-scale recovery which faithful Liberals hope to see in the future. What possibility would there be of keeping Liberalism alive, as a great national party, if in a majority of the constituencies there were no fighting organization in existence and no opportunity for casting a Liberal vote ? In effect the choice before Liberals is between remaining a national party, fighting on the whole front with some ultimate prospect of success, or resigning itself to the modest role of being a mere instrument of intellectual propaganda—like the Fabian Society. The former policy was, in fact, unanimously endorsed.
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