In conclusion, Mr. Balfour justified the action of the House
of Lords in referring the Budget to the people. He drew a. comparison between the action of the last Government with regard to Tariff Reform and the present attempt at creating a much more revolutionary change without first ascertaining the nation's opinion. It seemed to him to be the duty of the House of Lords to prevent this. "Its mission and great function is to see that the G-overnment of this country is a ptipular. Government.' With that expression of opinion we ale in complete agreement, as we are indeed with almost the whole of Mr. Balfour's criticism of the Budget. His attempt to justify Protection appears to .us, however, singularly un- convincing, and we doubt very much whether it even convinces its author. This is not the moment to argue the question of Free-trade, but we should like to set forth once more the grounds which induce us to believe that Protection, no matter what the alias under which it acts, involves waste, and must therefore be an injury to the economic interests of the nation.
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