Yesterday week, Mr. Balfour made a striking little speech to
the Women's Liberal Unionist Association in the Prince's Hall. He warned Liberal Unionists not to dream that the danger of Home-rule is over. He (Mr. Balfour) had felt great sympathy with the new Prime Minister since he left "the honourable obscurity of the Foreign Office" to take the furst place in the Government. At one time Lord Rosebery had seemed to think of coming over to the Unionists ; but when he put one foot into the water to cross the stream, he -did not like the temperature, took it out again, and had ever since been beckoning to the Liberal Unionists to join him where he is. But the arguments to induce them to come -back, which he had used the other day in Manchester, were not sound. In the first place, he insisted on the fact that Irish politicians are hardly more divided among themselves than Cabinet Ministers, and next, that Irish crime has almost -disappeared. If all Irish politicians were angels of light, and Irish crime had never existed at all, Mr. Balfour would still be a Unionist. But he should be astonished to hear that, as a matter of fact, Cabinet Ministers do tell each other that they are "foul-mouthed" politicians, "not to be believed on their oath," as the Members of the Irish party in Committee. room No. 15 did. And as to Irish crime, it is not its absolute amount that is so dangerous, but the fact that it is used and -organised as one of the recognised methods of political war- fare, and that this happens in Ireland, and in Ireland only. 'The real mischief of the Home-rule agitation was not what it had done to promote Home-rule, but the exaggeration of -every small difference it had produced, the undue emphasis it had given to every disintegrating influence, the habit which a spurious nationalism had created of dwelling on small ,grievances, and ignoring all the great blessings of the common national life. Mr. Balfour has hardly ever said anything pithier or better.
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