Lord Harlington made an admirable speech in the Free-trade Hall,
Manchester, yesterday week,—Mr. Oliver Heywood in the chair,—which turned chiefly on Mr. Gladstone's remark that if Lord Harlington wished to discuss with him the conditions of reconciliation, he should be quite willing to enter upon that discussion. Lord Hartington referred to the difficulty thrown in the way of such a discussion by the recent apologies for the "Plan of Campaign," and by the favour shown to the policy of obstruction among the Liberals, for he was confident that it was perfectly impossible for Liberal Unionists to be reconciled to the Parnellite methods of agitation, or to any section of the Liberal Party which adopted those Parnellite methods. For his own part, Lord Harlington held to the principles of his address to the electors of Rossendale in 1886 ; but he held that till the Crimes Bill is fairly passed, proposals for reunion amongst Liberals would be absolutely mistimed ; and even when that was passed, he thought that the remedial measure for Ireland should be considered by all moderate men, whether Con- servatives or Liberals, together, and not by any single party in the State. Lord Harlington had no wish "to creep back" by himself into the favour of the Liberal Party. Nay, he con- sidered that he owed a certain loyalty to the Conservatives also, and he would have nothing to say to any compromise made behind the backs of those with whom he had been acting. In a word, Lord Harlington stood like a rock on the ground on which a year ago he planted himself.
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