Last Saturday the Colonial Secretary addressed his con- stituents at
Leamington. The bulk of his speech was occupied with a defence of Mr. Balfour against recent personal attacks, with which we have no fault to find. But we must protest strongly against Mr. Lyttelton's strictures upon Lord Robertson's action in delivering a Free-trade speech in the House of Lords last week, which he construed into a personal attack upon the Prime Minister. "It was an ill-omened thing that a great Law Lord should thus have detached himself from the calmness and judicial moderation which had hitherto characterised the great office which he held." Lord Robert- son certainly did not exceed the courtesies of debate, and Mr. Lyttelton would appear to argue that a Law Lord has no business to make a speech on politics. This is a perfectly indefensible doctrine. A Law Lord has the same position and the same legislative responsibility as an ordinary Peer. If Mr. Lyttelton objects to Lord Robertson, what has he to say to the conduct of the Lord Chancellor, who has delivered from the Woolsack more vehement party speeches than most of his lay colleagues ?
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