The only contest which seems likely to be serious will
be that for East Birmingham, where Alderman Cook is coming forward to contest the new Home Secretary's seat, on a platform, it is said, satisfactory to many of the Liberal Unionists,— namely, that he will oppose anything like the Irish Land Bill of the late Government, that he will insist on the retention of the Irish Members at Westminster, and that he will grant Ireland only a Parliament entirely subordinate to the Parliament of the United Kingdom. All these conditions are perfectly con- sistent with the passing of a Home-rule Bill infinitely more dangerous and disastrous, in our opinion, than Mr. Glad- stone's ; and if Mr. Henry Matthews should be rejected in favour of a candidate accepting Home-rule for Ireland under these conditions, the alliance of which so much has been made between the Tories and Lord Hartington will sustain a violent shock at the very outset. For our own parts, we could hardly look on any political career with more distrust than we do on the career of Mr. Henry Matthews sometime M.P. for Dun-
garvan. But as he is unquestionably a strong man, and the new Cabinet has a good many weak ones, we should be sorry to see him rejected. He may prove, after all, to be the strongest man in the new Government. And he may also use his strength in the right way.
