Lord Hartington's speech was the great speech of Thursday evening.
He followed Mr. Redmond, and spoke with more than his usual vigour and lucidity. He denied absolutely that Mr. Parnell's Bill was rejected in September on the ground that there had been no fall in the value of produce. That fall was admitted ; but it was contended that there was no sufficient reason for providing in Ireland a remedy for it which no one thought of providing in Scotland and England. The contention implied in the Opposition speeches that whenever the House rejects a Bill asked for by one section of the community, that section has the right to take the law into its own hands and do as it pleases, was one of the most monstrous and anar- chical contentions conceivable. The real difficulty in Ire- land was due to the falling-off of external employment for tenants whose little farms never had paid the rent, and never could pay the rent. We might have just the same sort of crisis in England, if the labourers with allotments should be thrown back on those allotments alone for the sup- port of their families. Would any one argue that if in such a case Parliament refused to reduce or abolish the rents of those allotments, it would be permissible for the labourers to take the law into their own bands, and start such a " Plan of Campaign" as had been started in Ireland ? The great -remedy for agrarian distress in Ireland was really emigra- tion, and Lord Hartington denied that an Irish Home-ride Government would have anything like the advantages for starting and supporting a scheme of emigration which would be possessed by the central Government, which is in official relations with all the Colonies needing a fresh supply of labour. Again, to call a reform of criminal procedure Coercion, is a confusion of terms. Coercion implies taking power to silence or punish political opponents. A reform of criminal procedure does not touch political freedom at all, but only renders it easier to restrain criminals, those who offend against the laws of their country. In one of the strongest and most lucid speeches of the whole year, Lord Hartington supported cordially the Irish policy of the Government.
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