12 OCTOBER 1901, Page 3

We were unable last Saturday to find space for a

notice of the Lord Chancellor's speech on October 3rd, but must say a word, even though late, on the extraordinary remarks made by him on the subject of the over-representation of Ireland. The following are his words as reported by the Times :—" With regard to the House of Commons, it was contrary to the Constitution to be perpetually tinkering at it. Do not let them, because some particular Members of the House of Commons would misbehave themselves, put every- thing into the melting-pot and begin the Constitution anew. That was not Conservatism. We had a system which, he believed, was the best system of government that could be devised, and let them not rashly alter it." What is one to say of this more than astonishing defence of the dangerous and ridiculous system which penalises, from the electoral point of view, the loyallmajority of the nation. and-confers a monstrous privilege on those whose desire is to nee their anomalous advantages to the injury of the United Kingdom P Apparently the Lord Chancellor has never heard of the Blenheim demonstration, or of the speeches made there