The reply to the Liberal demonstration at Manchester, on Friday
and Saturday, was a Conservative demonstration at Birmingham on Saturday and Monday, the grandees of which were Mr. Chaplin, M.P., and the Colonial Secretary, Sir Michael Hicks-Beach. On the Saturday, these gentlemen were cautious and rather dull ; but on the Monday, when they had read Mr. Bright's attack on the Govern- ment, they were bolder and more vivacious. Mr. Chaplin, —and we quote his own version of his own words, given in a letter to Thursday's Timm—declared that "it would be idle to ignore the fact that there is a reaction at the present time by which the principles of Free-trade are losing, and those of Protection are gaining ground, with many people in the country ;" and though he did not think this a reason " why we should hastily reverse our commercial policy" (mark the word "hastily "), he did think it a reason why "it would be most unwise and foolish on our part" (we suppose he refers, in some degree at least, to the Agricultural Commission of Inquiry, for which he moved, and of which he is a member), "to approach the consideration of the problem which may be awaiting our solution, with any fore- gone conclusion or prejudice in our minds." Mr. Chaplin did not wonder at the irritation expressed by Mr. Bright at Manchester, because "many of his statements and predictions upon that question in former days had been proved by experi- ence to be completely wrong." Mr. Chaplin is nobly frank. It is not difficult to perceive that the triumph of any party which owes much to him and his friends, would mean a good many nails knocked into the coffin of Free-trade.
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