At least what we have said was the general interpreta-
tion of the Liberal manoeuvre, though we ought to add that Mr. Asquith, speaking at Chelmsford on Wednesday, declared that nothing in the nature of an ultimatum to the Government was ever intended. We fancy, however, that if the manoeuvre had succeeded, the warning to the Government would have been joyfully spoken of as an ultimatum. In any case, it was surely a very curious policy to choose Proportional Representa- tion as the test. No doubt a large proportion of Liberals desire Proportional Representation—a larger proportion than in any other party—yet there are Liberals who do not like it. Similarly there are many Unionists and Labour men who want it, but also many who do not want it. It is one of the last questions which can be usefully used as a political test. The Liberal threat was particularly injudicious, as it was quite well known that the Prime Minister himself is not a believer in Proportional Representation. The outcome might have been foreseen.
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