Mr. Smith, the Member for Westminster, has brought Sir W.
Harcourt down on him. Mr. Smith, in a speech to his electors on March 19th, taunted the Liberal Government with having brought matters "to such a pass that they could hardly walk the streets of London or sleep in their beds without the most vigilant attention on the part of the police." Sir W. Harcourt, with all official information before him, declares that
in December, 1867, Lord Beaconsfield took far more stringent precautions, among others, enrolling more than 100,000 special constables, in addition to the Police ; and was so deeply impressed by the dangers around him, that " his frequent and graphic warnings on the subject of Secret Societies were founded on his experience of that epoch." That is, when we remember "Lothair" and its Sibylline utterances, a very curious bit of literary his- tory. It was imagined at the time that Lord Beaconsfield based his argument upon the experience of Italy, where the Secret Societies undoubtedly compelled Napoleon to intervene. He had, however, nearer means of information. Sir W. Harcourt is evidently very angry with Mr. Smith, and talks of his " hardi- hood," but we hardly see much reason for his wrath. The necessity for so much precaution does indicate failure of some sort; and failure is always attributed by political speakers to the Government of the day. Lord Beaconsfield failed too, and a good many more governments will fail, before in Ire- land, " the wicked, the Invincibles, cease from troubling, and the weary, the English, are at rest." Some day the Irish will become " weary " too, and then the " wicked " will learn how gentle English rule really was.
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