Mr. Chamberlain made a good speech in Birmingham on Tuesday,
in which he anticipated with pleasure the resumption of legislative work on behalf of England and Scotland, since the Irish block had been so efficiently dealt with. He spoke of "great changes" as being imminent, though he declined to state in what order the Government proposed to deal with the great issues on which they have promised to propose solutions to the nation. Timid people, he said, would be filled with alarm at the prospect of renewed legislative activity, for timid people could never be persuaded that the steady progress which the country has made for so many years, has all of it been faci- litated by the great changes which the timid people of other generations feared as much as the timid people of this genera- tion fear the proposals of the Liberals. It is cheering to find Mr. Chamberlain so hopeful. For our own parts, we fear that Tory obstruction to the suppression of the obstructing elements in the House of Commons, will be quite sufficient to delay dangerously the passing of most urgent reforms. We are not in the least afraid of these reforms. We are greatly afraid of their indefinite procrastination.
Previous page
