Mr. Birrell, who addressed a large meeting at the Reading
Town Hall on Monday, devoted the greater part of his speech to Irish affairs. He was not in the least afraid to meet the Opposition face to face next week. It was not such a terrifying crowd ; its own record was far from clean; and the jeopardising of their own scheme of land purchase mattered little to some of the Opposition compared with the opportunity of throwing a little dirt at a Liberal Administration. But though not alarmed at the Opposition—for he counted on the support of the vast body of Liberals, Radicals, and Labour Party—he did feel anxiety as to the future of Ireland, and especially the problem of the breaking up and distribution of the grass-lands. Chief Secretaries got used up quickly and passed away, but as long as he remained in Ireland he would remain there in the interests, not of the Irish landlords, nor of any section of the community, but in the interests of Ireland as a whole. "He stood in Ireland an isolated and somewhat solitary figure He was in Ireland to represent the goodwill, good feeling, and honest desire of the democracy of England and Scotland to give fair play to Ireland."
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