On Tuesday evening, Mr. Goschen addressed at Bradford a meeting
of over five thousand people, in a speech of singular force and courage. After a generous tribute to Mr. Balfour, and an assurance that the Cabinet were in perfect sympathy with the Chief Secretary's administration, Mr. Goschen dwelt with vigour on "the horrors" of United Ireland. The Government bad a difficult task before them, but except in one particular they had realised those difficulties. They had not realised the extent to which "ex-Home Secretaries, ex-Chief Secretaries, and ex-Prime Ministers would throw themselves in with the party of disorder, and attempt to arrest the arm of the law," and of the Executive in performing the first duty of all Governments, irrespective of party. "No more profligate saying than Remember Mitchels- town l' ever issued from the lips of a responsible Minister." The Government had no desire to suppress free speech. " We wish to suppress free crime, not free speech." After describing the true character of the alleged domiciliary visit in London, and describing himself as " a Unionist" by party, Mr. Goschen emphasised the necessity for further dealing with reform of Pro- cedure. The next Session must not be a purely Irish Session, for the arrears of English legislation must be dealt with as well. With this, as with the whole tenor of Mr. Goschen's speech, which we have commented on at length elsewhere, we agree. We trust, however, that his words do not mean that the Irish Land- purchase scheme is to be postponed.
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