Mr. Asquith, in his reply to Mr. Balfour, naturally made
a strong point of the fact that Mr. Balfour put forward no alternative proposal. The Prime Minister, we are glad to see, made it clear, however, that in the last resort the Government mean to do their duty, and that they realize that an essential part of that duty is to protect men in the right to work and to secure the country from the appalling evils of the complete cessation of the coal supply. Sir Edward Grey ended the debate with a speech which showed that he and his col- leagues are under no illusions as to the imminent dangers of the situation. When the division was taken the Govern- ment were found to have a majority of 123 (348-225)—a majority considerably larger than was expected. Three Unionists voted with the Government, and one Liberal against them.
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