Lord Cromer in a speech at Sheffield on Friday week
gave his reasons for asking Unionist Free-traders to support Unionist candidates irrespective of their views on the Fiscal question. His first reason was that national defence would be safer with the Unionists than with their opponents. In the next place, he wanted to prevent the disruption of the Empire by the gift of Home-rule to Ireland. The continued existence of the Church of England must, moreover, be secured, and religious teaching must be preserved in schools. There could be no doubt that the Liberal Party was deeply tainted with Socialism. Finally, it was essential to maintain the existence of an effective Second Chamber. It was upon this last point that Lord Cromer chiefly dwelt. He strongly urged the reform of the House of Lords, though he did not say that " the hereditary principle ought, as some imagine, to be scrapped altogether." But the real importance of a Second Chamber lay, not in its composition, but in its power upon occasions of supreme importance " to give the -people of the country an opportunity of deciding what they themselves think best in their own interests."
Previous page
