Sir Charles Russell, speaking at Swindon, on Wednesday, at a
banquet held to celebrate the Gladstonian victories in Wiltshire, did his best, of course, to minimise the meaning of Irish Home-rule ; but we should be much surprised to find that even Mr. Justin McCarthy could accept Sir Charles Russell's minimising view with any frank cordiality. "There were three effective checks," he said; "there was the veto of the Crown ; there was the inherent right of the Imperial Parliament to repeal or to modify any enact- ment it [the statutory Irish Parliament] might make ; and there was the inherent right of Parliament,—of which it could not divest itself, even if it desired to do so,— to legislate, if occasion warranted it, directly in relation to
Ireland itself These checks represented an enormous reserve power, to be exercised should necessity cause it to be resorted to." Yes, and if this "enormous reserve power" were ever used, what would be the condition of the quarrel between England and Ireland, and what would be the relief obtained by the supreme Parliament from the Irish block P The quarrel would be far bitterer than ever, and -the block would be far worse than ever. After our impatience of the frying.pan, we should find ourselves in the heart of the fire.
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