• Mr. Balfour, speaking on the Address, was in a
mood of light and amiable raillery. It "surpassed his comprehension" that the King's Speech contained no reference to the Colonial Conference. As to the difficulty between the two Houses, he complimented the Government on their decision to reflect. He hoped they would reflect much more and talk muoh less. Comparing recent speeches on the subject by members of the Government, he twitted the Home Secretary on the policy "known as filling up the cup,' " and described the Attorney. General, who looked forward to "a aeries of Dissolutions ending in a revolution," as a Robespierre in disguise. A conflict of opinion, said Mr. Balfour, was inevitable so long as there were two Houses. If there were never to be such a conflict, a second House would be superfluous. All that was necessary was that ultimately the people should have the power of deciding. As to reforming the House of Lords into an impeccable Second Chamber, that would simply mean a stronger body than ever. Turning to Irish legislation, lie said that it would be vain to try to discover something that was "both Home-rule and not Home-rule." He accused the Government of aggravating educational difficulties in Ireland by dragging Trinity College, Dublin, into the problem. He professed to be ignorant of the Prime Minister's views on Free-trade, and said that certain speeches by Mr. Haldane and Mr. Churchill were inconsistent with that policy.
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