The Lord Mayor himself is uneasy on this question of
the party character of the movement, and has extracted from Mr. Gladstone a testimonial to this effect,—that so far as his lordship's correspondence with the Prime Minister goes, he has betrayed no sign of using this movement in any party spirit. That is, of course, perfectly true ; but what are we to say of his lordship's speech at the Merchant Taylors' dinner, to which Mr. Gladstone carefully excluded any reference ? Has the Lord Mayor ever disavowed that speech, or called witnesses to prove that he did not make it If not, Mr. Glad- stone's limited testimonial comes to nothing, and only proves that the Lord Mayor refrained, out of prudence, on solemn occasions from saying that which escaped him unawares in that fullness of bread and pride of stomach which are apt to follow on City dinners.
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