There has been a great rush this week of belated
speeches addressed to constituencies by their Members, of which we can- not pretend to give any adequate account. But we may remark that Mr. Herbert Gladstone's speech at Leeds on Monday was remarkable, first, for discussing Irish Home-rule" on its merits,' which Mr. H. Gladstone did not think to be great, though he admitted that there were circumstances under which such a solution might be feasible ; next, for denying that, at the present moment, even needful local reforms could be extended to Ireland, the fermentation there being what it is ; lastly, for intimating that whenever it is possible,—though that could not be at pre- sent,—the control of the police should be left to the local autho-
pities, even in Ireland. We are inclined to think that in this speech Mr. H. Gladstone,—who has a great number of Irish con- stituents,—refused too much for the moment, and conceded too much for the future. We do not believe that an Irish Parlia- ment could, in any conceivable case, be consistent with the Union. And we do believe that a good local Government, even though given at once, would be the opening of a safety-valve for discon- -tent, and not the dangerous and revolutionary step Mr. H- Gladstone thinks it.
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