Mr. Balfour delivered a long and important speech at Had-
dington on Saturday. They were, he observed, in the middle of a revolution, the work of a coalition of three widely different and even conflicting organizations which had all come together for the purpose of shattering the British Constitution. The House of Lords had been guilty of the unpardonable crime of twice referring Home Rule to the electorate, and the coalition were determined it should not be repeated. In no other way than by the passage of the Parliament Bill could they force over the heads of the people and against their wishes a policy to which the people had twice declared their unalterable objection. Here Mr. Balfour interposed a personal ex, planation of his advice and action last July. By that time the great political crime had been done, the Prerogative had been misused ; all that could be done was to minimize this great constitutional tragedy, save the. House of Lords from further damage with efficiency, and prevent the King's Prerogative from being dragged yet
deeper in the mire. The matter was over and could not be reopened for practical purposes. His advice to all his friends, whether they agreed or disagreed with him on this matter, was to give the subject back to the historians and ask them to worry over a bone which had no longer any living or prac- tical interest.
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