Mr. Asquith's attempts to minimise the effect of his pledges
in regard to Home-rule are in curious contrast with the calculated indiscretions of Mr. Lloyd George. For example, at Conway on Wednesday the Chancellor of the Exchequer said that the Liberals
" stood for the Empire which was really united, and not for a sham Unionism, and that was why they were in favour of ceding to Ireland a full measure of self-government; that was why they realised that it would strengthen the Empire. What had been the effect of self-government in South Africa ? By the magic of freedom a race had been converted which had held at bay the whole resources of the British Empire for three
years If this had done so much for the Dutchmen in South Africa, why should it not do the same for the Irish ? That was why the Liberal Government were so strongly in favour_of the great policy of Gladstone."
If this means anything, it means that the Liberal Party is pledged to give Ireland something in the nature of Colonial self-government,—certainly something quite as complete as Mr. Gladstone's Bill of 1893.
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