We cannot leave the question of Mr. Bonar Law's speech
without making some reference to the two very remarkable leading articles dealing with it in the Times. Though the Times view on the general question of customs duties and indirect taxation is not ours, we must applaud the practical statesmanship and sound patriotic instinct which have inspired those articles. They are worthy in every way of the best traditions of the greatest of daily newspapers. In the first place, they show not only independence of party, but, what is a far rarer thing in a newspaper, independence in regard to what are the opinions, or supposed opinions, of the bulk of its readers. In all probability, however, the articles of which we write do represent the opinions of those who read the Times, for undoubtedly the vast majority of the opponents of Home Rule and of the present Government, whether they be Unionists or non-party men, have come to the conclusion that, in order to save the Union and free us from the present Government, the Unionist Party must not go into battle weighed down by Food Taxes. The Times ran the risk of offending its readers, but, as so often happens in such cases, found that after all they were on its side.
