[To THE EDITOR OP THR "SPECTATOR."' SIR, — You have laid the
nation, as well as the entire Unionist Party, under a debt by your impressive exposition of the perils and unwisdom of petitioning the King in regard to the Irish Bill. But there will be some amazement that the Spectator should assume Mr. Arnold White to be the originator of the idea of a petition, and his article to be a ballou d'essai. For the same proposal was made many months ago, and not merely made but acted upon, by a Unionist newspaper, The World, under whose auspices a petition has been circulated throughout the country for signature. Moreover, the same idea of a petition was advocated by the former Attorney-General for Ireland, Mr. J. H. Campbell, K.C., M.P., in the House of Commons not long ago. I enclose cuttings from the World to show what has happened. Of course, the question assumes a more serious import in con- sequence of the references to the King made by Sir Edward Carson during his recent tom-, references which will have created throughout Ulster expectations of the King's inter- vention. It was therefore important that the nation should be made aware of the position of sober English Unionist opinion, as reflected in your powerful statement of constitu-
tional doctrine and of sound political strategy.—I am, Sir,
ctc., A FIFTEEN YEARS' READER.
[We were under the impression that Mr. Arnold White was solely responsible for the public expression of this view, and regret to find that he is not alone in his madness.—En. Spectator.]
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