On Wednesday was published a letter written by Lord Rosebery
to certain members of the City Liberal Club. He laid down the leadership of the Liberal party, he says, in the hope of uniting it, but without success ; but now that complete liberty of speech in regard to the war has been officially pro- claimed he feels absolved from the restraint of silence which he had laid on himself five years ago. "Not that I desire to re-enter the arena of party politics, far from it; I shall never voluntarily return to it. On the .contrary, I believe that there is a useful and uncoveted place in the commonwealth for one who, having held high office, and having no desire to hold it again, can speak his mind with absolute independence." Accordingly Lord Rosebery speaks as an onlooker. The Liberal party has a great opportunity in regard to domestic policy, but it can only become a power when it has made up its mind on Imperial questions, and especially on the war. Neutrality and an open mind on the war is an impossible attitude, and only spells Liberal impotence. Either the war is just or unjust ; that is the supreme issue, and the party can- not agree to differ on it any more than Cavaliers and Round- heads could combine "on the basis of each maintaining their different opinions on the policy of Charles I."
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