After some badgering of the Prime Minister by Sir H.
D. Wolff, Sir Michael Hicks-Beach, Mr. Gibson, and others, as to the source of the information on which the political prisoners had been released, which Mr. Gladstone declined to give, Mr. Forster made the statement of his reasons for separating him- self from his colleagues, and for declining to share their responsi- bility for the release of Mr. Parnell, Mr. Dillon, and Mr. O'Kelly, as well as the conditional release of Michael Davitt, the announcement of which had been received with great cheers by the Home-rulers. We have explained Mr. Forster's position and commented at some length upon it in another column, and here need only say that it comes to this,—that, in his opinion, the release of the prisoners at the present time is equivalent to a confession that they had been too strong for the Government, and that it would be interpreted as the paying of black-mail to free-booters is interpreted. For the rest, Mr. Forster's explana- tion, though be did not conceal his disgust for conciliation where be thought firmness needed, was thoroughly loyal, dignified, and, to Mr. Gladstone personally, more than cordial,—reverent.
