Mr. Chamberlain's second speech, delivered on Thursday, was equally forcible,
and, we believe, will greatly influence Scotch and English electors. It was intended to show the absence of any justification for the Home-role hope of an Utopia in Ireland to come from Mr. Dillon and Dr. Tanner. There would be no lawlessness, it is true, said Mr. Chamberlain, for there would be no laws. Dublin was self-governed, and self. governed by Nationalists; and in Dublin the rates were 9s. 3d, in the pound, while in Belfast they were 6s. 10d. The Nationalist Members showed prodigious powers of speech, but no constructive ability, failing even to improve the Land Bill of last Session, which the Scoto-Irish Members moulded into a most important measure. This led Mr. Chamberlain to the Land Question, upon which he made a most important deliverance. He would buy out the landlord', at a low rate, and would not
himself object to pledge British credit for that purpose. As, however, the British electors did object, he proposal another plan, upon which we have commented adversely elsewhere. It is, briefly, to bay the land with debentures guaranteed on Irish rates. Mr. Chamberlain added, what for the sake of clearness we have omitted in our article, that an ad- ditional guarantee might be found in the sums voted from the Imperial Treasury for Irish education, Irish police, Irish fisheries, and so on. We question if that is any security at all, unless the British taxpayer makes up the sum, for Parliament would never withdraw funds the withdrawal of which might throw civilisation back.
