It is through indulging delusions such as these that the
Unionist Free-traders run so imminent a risk of suffering extinction. If, instead, they will face the facts, and fight whole-heartedly for Free-trade and against all its enemies, open and secret, they will not only survive themselves, but be in a position when the occasion comes to reconvert their party to Free-trade. Lord Hugh Cecil seems to assume that vigorous opposition to Mr. Balfour would somehow deprive the Unionist Free-traders of their right to be Unionists. We refuse to grant Mr. Balfour any such miraculous power as that of eliminating the Unionist virtue from his opponents. We mean to remain Unionists and Free-traders whatever new turns and twists the Premier may devise for luring us into the Chamberlain net which closes the Balfour decoy.
Previous page
