Sir William Harcourt was very chary in his treatment of
the subject of Mr. Blanes Home-rule motion on May 6th. As Mr. Blane is a Parnellite, or rather, a Redmondite, Sir William treated the subject with lofty contempt. It was a mere trap, he maintained, to ask him to speak on such a subject. "The springes set for woodcocks are not likely to entrap more intelligent birds." Nevertheless, the more intelligent bird had to return to the subject for the sake of the Anti- Parnellites, and then he vaguely declared that what he wished to do was to give Ireland back the Legislature of which she was deprived, but he said nothing of the separate Irish Administration depending on that Legislature of which Ireland was never deprived. And we cannot conceive anything less likely, than giving Ireland back such a Legislature as that of which she was deprived at the beginning of this century. The Home Secretary, in his speech at Birmingham on Thursday, justly remarked that this would be impossible. Thai at least can never be proposed by Mr. Gladstone.
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