Sir Michael Hicks-Beach, in addressing a meeting of his con-
stituents at the Victoria Rooms, Clifton, on Tuesday night, made the first announcement to the public that he had resigned his seat in the Cabinet (in which there still remain, neverthe- less, sixteen members), and had resumed the position of an in- dependent supporter of the Government. To some extent the change of position was perceptible in his speech, though he gave his cordial support to the Government, and declined to believe that even in respect to what might seem to have been errors, they would not be able to produce a good defence. He sup- ported the Government in its battle against the National League in Ireland, but went on to remark that when the victory had been obtained, there would still be an unfortunately deep anti. English sentiment in Ireland to overcome. That would take time and patience to deal with, "and it may involve the giving. up of our favourite English habit of measuring everything by the English rule, of bringing English prejudices to bear upon the settlement of Irish affairs, and of looking upon Irish- men as our inferiors rather than our equals. In Irish as well as English political affairs, we are bound to take into account those new powers and requirements which the extension of the franchise has brought into being. We must administer and legislate in a bold and sympathetic spirit of statesmanship, free from those narrow prejudices which swayed so much the action of the Tories thirty years ago, but which now have no influence whatever in Irish political affairs. And, further, I would say that we must do everything consistent with justice and honour to give to Irish Members of Parliament as great a voice in the settlement of purely Irish questions as for years past we have given to the Scotch Members in the settlement of purely Scotch questions." But if Scotch or if English Members openly burned the Queen's proclamation, and started a "Plan of Campaign" like Mr. Dillon's, should we concede them much Parliamentary influence then ?
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