LORD ROSEBERY AND THE LIBERAL UNIONISTS.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."]
SzB,—Now that the unexpected has happened—I refer, of course, to Lord Rosebery's renunciation of Gladstonian Home-rule—may I ask you to reconsider the advice which you gave to Liberal Unionists with a view to the occurrence of an unlikely contingency? And first, let me take strong ex- ception to your calm contemplation, even of the bare possi- bility, of Lord Rosebery (followed, I take it, by the Imperialists) becoming a supporter of the Government. And for this reason. At lowest a certain proportion, say a third, of the electorate are constitutionally opposers of a Govern- ment whose main tone is Conservative. Nothing is more certain than that if Lord Rosebery assumed the same position to the Government that the then Lord Hartington did to its predecessors of 1886-92, he would carry comparatively few supporters with him from the constituencies. The result would be an Opposition which, however weak it might start, could hardly fail finally to attain office, and which would be led by the combined anti-national elements of previous Gladstonian Cabinets. Is this a prospect to be viewed with composure? But neither is your alternative,—a stalemated Opposition and the present Government with an indefinite lease of power. History tells us that the result of such a state of things would be inefficiency, if no worse, as, how- ever well we may think of the good intentions of our, rulers, experience shows that men or institutions on their good behaviour behave best. And as to the end of the struggle for supremacy in the Opposition ? Anyhow, it would be doubt- ful, and the loss of one life would make it more than doubtful. -What,-then;is'ivy eonolusion ? Not that Liberal Unionists as a body 'should at once rejoin their old party. The party must be *Liberal Unionist 'first, or acknowledge Liberal Unionist leadership, which has not yet occurred. But I do maintain that Liberal Unionists should make it perfectly clear that when the Liberal party is again a Unionist party they will renew their allegiance to it, and that in the meantime, if, in any by-election that may occur, the Liberal candidate is sound on Ireland (and the war), he will get local Liberal Unionist support forthwith.--I am, Sir, &e., Inner Temple Reading BOOM. H. F. -COBWEB. [We cannot say that we feel at present in the least inclined to alter our advice to the Liberal Unionists. If and when the Liberal party has become once again a real Unionist party, we shall, however, be perfectly willing to reconsider the whole position. But the Unionism must be real, • not imitation, Unionism,—i.e., of the kind that does nbt wear off , after a few rubs.—ED. Spectaforj
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