On Friday week Mr. Chamberlain spoke at a meeting at
Oxford under the auspices of the University Tariff Reform League. In addressing an audience mainly composed of young men, he dealt rather with the Imperial and political aspects of his scheme than the Protectionist. The only passage of real importance, however, was that dealing with his relations with Mr. Balfour. "With little hope indeed that I shall convince those who do not want to be convinced, I repeat again what I have said on previous occasions, that, although we have had differences, as all men must have when they endeavour to co-operate, those differences have always been differences of detail, never differences of principle, and they have never interfered in any way, or could have interfered, with our perfect co-operation." Is it conceivable that if Mr. Chamberlain did not know beyond all possi- bility of doubt that he was speaking the truth, he would use such language as this ? The contrary sug- gestion seems to us dishonouring in a high degree. The rest of his speech was made up of his now familiar pleas for Imperial consolidation, and his Cassandra- like warnings of the result of letting well alone. Mr. Chamberlain, of course, is at liberty to make as much capital out of Home-rule as he pleases, but we should doubt the wisdom, even from his own point of view, of sneering at the Imperialist element in the Liberal party. Imperialism in a true sense is, we believe, coming to be a presupposition of both party creeds, and no sincere Imperialist should cast scorn upon the reality of this article of the faith of the other side, however widely he may differ in detail.
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