Mr. Doughty, the Liberal Member for Grimsby, has shown his
good sense as well as his pluck by writing a letter to his constituents abandoning Home-rule and declaring his inten- tion in future of strengthening the Liberal Unionists, instead of wasting years of his life in ploughing the sands in the hope of some day "putting in power a Party to introduce a Home- rule Bill, and to hold office during the pleasure of the Irish members." The letter begins by a very sound and able denunciation of the new Irish financial grievance, which was indeed the chief cause of Mr. Doughty's revolt. " The manufacture of this new Irish grievance demonstrated to me most conclusively the impossibility of any English Party ever satisfying Irish Nationalist and Parnellite demands." But, asks Mr. Doughty, is it Home-rule that Irish Mem• hers desire, or is their ultimate object separation " From my observation and experience in the House of Commons I regret to say that I am driven to the latter conclusion." On every occasion that foreign complications have arisen, Irish Members have expressed their delight, and one of their most prominent leaders declared that if the Irish could prevent it there should be no understanding between Great Britain and America. " In view of these facts, I cannot conceive how any English party desiring to maintain the unity and prosperity of the Empire can commit themselves to another Home-rule Bill." It would, of course, be easy to exaggerate the im- portance of Mr. Doughty's act, but at the same time we must not forget that when a party really has the country behind it, it never loses Members. What Mr. Doughty has been thinking for the last few weeks has also been thought and said in thousands of Liberal houses. That is the real significance of his resignation.
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