THE LIBERAL UNIONISTS AND THE SOUTH AFRICAN WAR.
go THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR.") your reference in your last issue to my article in the current Contemporary you unintentionally misrepresent me. You represent me as saying : " The Liberal Unionist party is responsible for the South African War." As I did not intend to say this, and thought I had not said it, I turned to my article to see what could have led you to make this statement. The words that did so are evidently these :— "Fifteen years ago a new party sprang into existence, whose sole basis was the refusal to Ireland of the freedom the Colonies enjoyed. That party has triumphed so far; that party is responsible for the South African War." I should not have thought those words were capable of misinterpreta- tion ; but apparently they are. What I meant them to convey was this :—" Fifteen years ago the Unionist party (not the Liberal Unionist party) sprang into existence. The Bole basis of common agreement between life-long Tories like Lord Salisbury and life - long Radicals like Mr. Chamberlain was the refusal to Ireland of the free- dom the Colonies enjoyed." To me, I must confess, it appears mere nonsense to say that the Liberal Unionist party has triumphed so far ; its sole triumph consists in being pretty well swallowed up by old Toryism. But to say that the Unionist party—i.e., the old Tory party, with the Liberal Unionists inside it—has triumphed so far appears to me to be the plainest statement of an incontestable fact. In what sense the Liberal Unionist party (unless Mr. Chamberlain is considered to be the whole party) could be held to be peculiarly responsible for the war, I fail to conceive. But the Unionist party, the party whose sole basis of common action was the refusal to grant to Ireland what Canada and Australia enjoy, was, in my opinion, responsible for the war. For I think the war was avoidable, and ought to have been avoided; and the Government which does not avoid an avoidable war is, I think, responsible for it. I am sure the courtesy with which you have always treated me will lead you to make this correction of fact.—I am, Sir, &c.,
[We gladly insert Mr. Crook's letter, but we cannot blame ourselves for having failed to grasp the true inwardness of the passage in question.—En. Spectator.'
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