Mr. Morley's speech at Newcastle on Saturday, which was marked
by his usual clearness and literary finish, was chiefly noticeable for his restatement of what he regards as the essen- tial features of any Home-rule scheme,—an Irish Parliament dealing with exclusively Irish affairs, "controlling, as the English Legislature does, an Executive responsible to it ;" and an effective settlement of the land question. As to the reten- tion of the Irish Members, Mr. Morley "would rather have Home•rule with the Irish Members retained at Westminster, than not have Home-rule at all." All snob matters mast, how- ever, be regarded as of secondary importance; the question now is whether Ireland is to be governed under an arbitrary and violent system. The fruits of Tory government have been "the betrayal of pledges to the constituencies, the demoralisation of public men and of parties, and the far deeper and the worse demoralisation of our free Parliamentary institutions." By these phrases, which we have dealt with in detail elsewhere, Mr. Morley means the Crimes Act, the compromises effected between the Liberal Unionists and the Tories, and the Closure.
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