On Thursday night the Opposition, led by a group of
Radical fanatics, opposed with no little clamour and acrimony the payment of a salary of £2,000 a year to the Lord President of the Council, Lord Crewe. If Lord Crewe is competent to be a member of the Cabinet, and to take charge of important Government measures in the House of Lords, as we have no doubt he is, it is a preposterous piece of sham economy to refuse him a salary. For ourselves, indeed, we consider that all members of the Cabinet should receive the same salary, and that it should be that now paid to Secre- taries of State,—i.e., £5,000 a year. It is absurd that the Secretaries of State should receive more than double the pay of beads of offices so important as the Board of Trade and the Local Government Board. We greatly regret to see that Mr. Long, who was leading for the Opposition, joined with Mr. Weir, Mr. Paul, Mr. Morton, and Mr. T. P. O'Connor in resisting the proposal. The Opposition seem determined to miss no opportunity of showing that they have no claim to be considered as the Conservative, the moderate, or the Consti- tutional party. After Mr. Long had completed the pitiable exhibition made of themselves by the Opposition by refusing to allow the amendment to be withdrawn, it was carried by a majority of 98 (232 to 134). We trust the Government will realise that they need expect no mercy from the extremists in their party, and will have the courage to defy them.
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