No doubt this last proviso gives a certain loophole for
escape, but taking Mr. Redmond's speech as a whole, it must be admitted to be one of ill omen for the Government. What snakes it so menacing is the fact that we may feel pretty sure that Mr. Redmond did not want to make it. As a Parlia- mentary tactician of experience, he doubtless sees the folly of proving too bard a taskmaster for the Government. That he has cracked the whip so loudly must be explained by the fact that he dared not do otherwise, and that there are forces behind him, or rather in opposition to him, in Ireland which compel him to use the language of menace. Optimist Liberals have been saying during the week that the National- ists are perfectly tame and will give them no trouble. Very possibly they would like to be tame and to give no trouble, but the difficulty is that they dare not.
