Mr. Labonchere, writing to Monday's Daily News, tramples vigorously on
what has been called " Mr. Chamberlain's olive- branch." He sees in it no olive-branch, but only " the toe of a gentleman who regards himself as an infallible Pope, and who kindly offers to allow us, under certain conditions, to kiss it. His proposals amount to this :—(1), That, having declared our- selves opposed to any scheme of Irish Land-purchase with Im- perial cash or Imperial credit, we should buy out all the land- lords ; (2), that, having put Home-rule to the front, we should relegate it to the position of a pions opinion,' and grant to Ireland an extension of municipal institutions. Mr. Chamber- lain is progressing backwards rather than forwards." Mr. Labouchere, whose style is somewhat vulgar, does all in his power to pour scorn on Mr. Chamberlain, declaring that it must be the great care of the Radicals in the coming Session to guard against any " mancenvre which may land us in a Chamberlain- Churchill Government," and he ventures towards the end of his letter to remark that "Mr. Chamberlain is not the first person who perched himself upon a mountain, and offered all who would submit themselves body and soul to him all that they might desire." In other words, we suppose Mr. Cham- berlain is a political Satan. Does Mr. Labouchere mean to pose himself as the great rebuker of Satan ?
Previous page
