Mr. Forster attended on Wednesday the inaugural banquet of the
Stonehouse Liberal Association, which has been formed to promote the candidature of his son, Mr. Arnold Forster, and Mr. Medley, for Devonport at the next election. Mr. Forster had to answer for both Houses of Parliament, and seized the occasion to exhort the House of Lords to such a change in its policy as would render it possible for a Liberal Government to introduce measures into the Upper House without thereby endangering the chance of their passing the Lower House. Speaking of Lord Granville's pluck in leading the House of Lords with a majority against him, he told a story of Lord Granville's school days, when he had to fight a much bigger boy than himself. He knew there was no chance for him eventually, but he also knew that if he could keep up the fight, however often he was knocked down, till the bell rang for school, he should not be regarded as actually beaten. So he kept up the fight till the bell rang, though repeatedly knocked down, and was not actually beaten. That, said Mr. Forster, was exactly what Lord Granville has to do now in the House of Lords. He is constantly knocked over, but he keeps up the fight till the bell rings and wakes up public feeling, and so he is never " actually beaten." As to the House of Commons, Mr. Forster was by no means despondent. He believed heartily in the expedient of division of labour amongst Committees, and was not disposed to admit that the House of Commons was losing influence in the country. Whatever may be the case as to the London Press, there never was a time, he said, when so much space was given in provincial journals to the debates. in the Commons, as at present.
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