Speaking at Bristol on Wednesday, Mr. Walter Long said that
it was quite untrue that by accepting the Referendum Mr. Balfour had pushed Tariff Reform into the background. So long as the Constitutional problem was unsettled, Unionists must continue to advocate the Referendum as their solution of that problem; but if the Constitutional question should be disposed of in some way that secured the "consent and assent " of Unionists, the Referendum scheme would obviously fall to the ground. He, however, did not expect the Constitu- tional question to be settled by the present Government in a manner with which Unionists could agree, and all he could say in the circumstances was that Unionists regarded the Referendum as an essential part of Constitutional reform, and he believed that it would also strengthen Tariff Reform. Some of the summaries of Mr. Long's speech have done it an injustice by making it appear that he spoke of the Refer- endum as a kind of temporary expedient to catch votes. He certainly made reservations in speaking of the Referendum, but we think it is perfectly clear that he regards it for all practical purposes as a permanent weapon in the Unionist armoury.
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