10 DECEMBER 1904, Page 3

ment that the Government had resolved to appoint a Com-

mission to deal with the Scottish Church problem, but indulged for the rest of his speech in a series of caustic and destructive criticisms of the policy of the Premier and Mr. Chamberlain. As for the Premier's appeal to his followers to come out into the open and attack thesenemy, Lord Rosebery thought that a leader who spoke thus should come into the open himself. Lord Beaconsfield bad declared that Pro- tection was "not only dead, but damned," and yet it was for opposing this doctrine that Lord George Hamilton and Sir Michael Hicks Beach were to be driven from public life. The plain fact was that whatever Mr. Balfour's declarations might be, he was the head of a Protectionist party. Lord Rosebery went on to denounce the tyranny of corrupt and corrupting wealth which was fostered by Protection. On the one side they saw almost all the wealth, aristocracy, and journalism of the country ; on the other side were the people, which would only prove strong enough if they remained united. Dealing finally with the need for a strong con- structive policy, Lord Rosebery said that the Liberal leaders must deal with the three questions of temperance, education, and housing. Until those questions were settled, the United Kingdom would not be at peace with itself, nor would the Empire attain its full measure of strength.