12 DECEMBER 1885, Page 2

Sir William Harcourt writes to Friday's Times to prove that

Great Britain at least has declared strongly for the late Liberal Government and against Lord Salisbury. This he- effects very satisfactorily ; but he commits the serious tactical error of overstating his case. In the first place, he shows only as much as this, that Mr. Gladstone has obtained a much more considerable following in Great Britain (taken alone) than he had at the end of the last Parliament; but he does not, admit, what he should have admitted, that he has a decidedly less majority, even in Great Britain taken alone, than he had at the commencement of the last Parliament. And, worse still, Sir William Harcourt says :—" One thing at least this election has proved,—that the Tory Party can never, under any conceivable cir- cumstances, have a majority in the House of Commons." Never,. under any conceivable circumstances ! Why, let him only conceive that while the boroughs remain just what they are, the counties should be angered by some Liberal economist, the Tory Chief meanwhile promising semi-socialist measures for their benefit, and we should have a Tory House of Commons in no time. It is quite true that we have had a great many special disadvantages to contend with in this last election ; but it is equally true that we had the very great advantage of having just obtained the franchise for a large and grateful class. We might easily have to fight a General Election under still worse conditions than these. What is the use of so overstating our case as to cheat ourselves into too fond a security ?