Sir William Harcourt spoke at the Colston Hall, Bristol, on
Tuesday, and made his chief theme Lord Salisbury's Ulster speech of yesterday week to the Primrose League. Lord Salisbury had asked, said Sir William Harcourt: "How would you like to be placed under the control of men who for several generations had been the bitterest opponents of your forefathers, by men who were separated from you by every consideration of race, creed, and history, if their power over you were complete, and every officer, every Judge, every policeman, every agent through whom you touch the govern- ment of the country, were in their hands ? " "Why," replied Sir William Harcourt, "is not that exactly the position in which the majority of the Irish people have been for genera- tions? It is impossible to describe with more absolute accuracy what the Union has done for the Irish people, and, says Lord Salisbury, how would you like it ? ' Why, the Irish Nationalists have told you they do not like it at all." No doubt they have told us so, but their actions have not verified their words. Mr. Dillon and Mr. O'Brien have availed themselves time after time of the protection of those policemen whom Sir William Harcourt thinks may be " accurately " described as their bitter enemies, and Mr. Davitt has availed himself of the impartiality of the Government, to take objection to one place after another where his private grievance was to be investigated and tried. Is that an evidence that all the agents of the Irish Government are really regarded by Nationalists as bitter enemies ? What did the elected Board of Guardians at Swinford say the other day of Mr. Balfour's help to the West of Ireland, when Mr. Dillon sneered at him?
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