9 JUNE 1894, Page 2

Mr. Chamberlain spoke at Bradford, this day week, in supporting

the candidature of Lord Randolph Churchill for Central Bradford, where he is to contest the seat of Mr. Lefevre at the General Election. We have said enough in another column on the great effectiveness of his speech, especially, as we think, as regards the less personal aspects of the controversy between him and the Prime Minister. We may add here that Mr. Chamberlain maintained, and indeed proved, that the character of Mr. Gladstone's Home-rule Bill was not in the least anticipated at the General Election by the Gladstonians themselves, nay, that it was absolutely at variance with the impression of it which had been given by numbers of the Gladstonian candidates to the constituencies which they had canvassed. This made it all the more essential that the opinion of the country should be taken on the Bill as it actually passed the House of Commons; but there is nothing for which the Government is less prepared than for such an appeal. The Gladstonians had not ventured to anticipate the retention of the Irish Members in the English Parliament on English questions after the Irish had obtained a Parliament of their own ; and they had never contemplated that the Irish Parliament was to have the power of putting bounties on Irish exports so as to enable Irish exporters to undersell English producers ; nor had they ever anticipated that the English taxpayers were to begin by paying half a million a year to Ireland for the privilege of having Irish Members counted twice over,—once for determining Irish matters, and once for giving the casting-vote on English affairs. Mr. Chamberlain not only exposed the policy of his antagonists, but he sketched in vigorous outline the policy which he himself was prepared to press on the Unionist Party.