LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
THE DUTY OF UNIONIST FREE-TRADERS.
ITO THE EDITOR 07 TEE "SPECTATOR."
Sis, In the dilemma in which Liberal Unionist Free-traders are placed, it seems a duty for all who have been active in the party to make known the position which they take up with regard to the impending General Election. Without claiming any special weight for their judgment, it is important that the relations of confidence between those who have been political associates should as far as possible be maintained, and that there should be no misapprehension as to the grounds of any one's conduct, such as might lead to the fallacious assumption that voting " Unionist " implies a weakened attachment to the cause of Free-trade. I should therefore be glad if you would allow me to state my full adherence to the line which you, Sir, maintain, and that on this occasion I shall vote Unionist only because more important interests are at stake than those of Free-trade itself.
I desire to see the Constitutional crisis settled, and believe that it can only be settled by a reform of the House of Lords, a statutory definition.of its relations to the House of Commons, and an enactment of the mode to be taken for the settlement of any deadlock in those relations by an appeal to the nation. The last I should prefer to be by a Referendum, putting each issue out of the reach of party logrolling, rather than by a dissolution of Parliament. There is so much in this to which Mr. Balfour is avowedly favourable that his return to power, if be will only shake off the habit of delay by which Conservative opportunities have been wasted, might quickly lead to such a co-operation of reasonable men as would effect the settlement desired. Meanwhile no convinced Free-trader need fear that when " Tariff Reform " is produced as a definite plan it can quickly be piloted through the storm of jealousies and objections which it will arouse.
But a victory of the policy announced by Mr. Asquith pro- mises neither a speedy nor a peaceable settlement of the questions at issue. It must lead to Bills of an opposite tendency, one making the victors at a General Election the masters of the country with no practical check from any quarter. while Home-rule will be the subject of another. It is not to be supposed that the Lords will pass those Bills, and so the fight will have to be renewed with increased exasperation. Settle- ment by agreement between patriotic statesmen will be further removed, and may perhaps become unattainable. I must decline assisting by a vote to throw the country into such confusion.—I am, Sir, &e., J. WESTLAKE. 3 Chelsea Embankment.
Previous page
