On the same day, Sir Henry James made a very
able speech at York. He exposed Sir William Harcourt's shameless asser- tion that the only Decalogue of the Unionists consists of a ten- fold repetition of the commandment, " Thou shalt hate Mr. Gladstone ;" and demonstrated, in reply. to Lord. Rosebery, that so far from the Liberal Unionists having deserted the Whig policy of the opening of the century, Mr. Fox had never spoken against the Union, while both Mr. Grattan and Lord Grey, who did oppose it, afterwards strongly supported it, and declared that the policy of its repeal was not even to be enter- tained for a moment. One of the great arguments' for Union urged at the time of the Treaty of Union, was that Ireland needed an impartial Legislature to wield the power of govern- ment; and never, said Sir Henry James, was there more need for such a Legislature to protect the Irish minority than there is now. Never, too, were the English people more determined to insist on justice to Ireland than they are now. They are even more intent on that policy of justice than on maintaining the Empire in safety ; but, with a little time for due considera- tion, they will learn the danger of disruption and the wisdom of holding fast by the glorioua inheritance to which they have succeeded.
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