The Scotsman, commenting on our article of last week upon
" The Future Government of Scotland," objects to two of the statements in it,—that the appointment of a Scotch minister, though occupying a position little, if at all, superior to that of an under-secretary, is a step away from, not towards, the establishment of a Scotch National Council ; and that, although he will be—as regards the control of Scotch education—subordi- nate to the Lord President of the Council, his appointment furthers the divorce of Scotch from English education. Both matters are simple enough. It will surely be the business of the Scotch Secretary to aid in preparing bills dealing with Scotland. This is also, however, to be the business of a Scotch National Council, according to its advocates; thus Lord Rosebery said not long ago that such a Council would have prepared a much better Crofters' Bill than the one promoted by the late Government. The appointment of a Scotch Secretary ought, therefore, to assist in removing any excuse for a Scotch National Council. In referring to the divorce of Scotch from English educational control, we were careful to say that such divorce was limited by the fact that the Bill creating a Scotch Secretary places him in a position of subordination to the Lord President of the Council. In other words, while things are bad, they might have been worse. But they might also have been better. English and Scotch education ought to be under the same Vice- President, as well as under the same President. The Scotsman says :—" Nobody in his senses ever thought " that when it was originally proposed to create a Scotch Secretary, he was, as we put it, "to be a great Cabinet Minister absorbing the whole Ad- ministration and impersonating the distinct nationality of Scot- land." In the Nineteenth Century for January, 1883, there appeared an article entitled " Scotland's Version of Home-rule," in which these words occur :—" What Scotsmen demand and think themselves entitled to expect is not merely that the public business of the country shall be efficiently performed, but also that the importance of their nationality shall be adequately
respected What Scotsmen have learned is that there is a way by which they could obtain the full con- sideration to which, both on material and on historical grounds, they are well entitled ; and that is by the ap- pointment of a Minister for Scotland with a seat in the Cabinet."
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