14 AUGUST 1886, Page 1

The victory of Mr. Matthews, however, was by no means

solely due to the breach between Alderman Cook and the Radical Union. It was discovered, on a close canvass of the constituency, that the electors themselves were not at all dis- posed to vote for any sort of Irish Home-rule, whatever its conditions, and that they had no notion of throwing over Mr. Matthews the Cabinet Minister, after voting for Mr. Matthews the barrister. Mr. Matthews greatly strengthened this resolu- tion by his very effective speeches on Monday and Tuesday. On Monday he pointed out that Alderman Cook, by voting for Mr. Gladstone's Bill, had done his best to set up in Ireland an Executive which would supersede the Executive of the United Kingdom, so that "the Ministers of her Majesty could not have appointed even a single policeman in Ireland." Alderman Cock

bad since been put through the mill, and, put in a Gladstonian at one end, he came out a Unionist at the other,—the "deformed transformed." There might be joy over a sinner that repented, but no one said that you should repose very great con- fidence in him ; and Alderman Cook, who voted for Mr. Gladstone in Jane, could hardly be more trustworthy now than he was then. Could he be trusted to do the one thing needful, to aid Parliament to re-establish order and liberty in Ireland, and to rid that country of the tyranny of an unauthorised political organisation ?