There was a healthy optimism in that view of Mr.
Morley's, but we are not sure that he contributes as much as he might to the solution of this difficult problem by his answers to the questions put to him in the House of Commons. He was ex- ceedingly vague and inexplicit in his answers to Mr. Carson on Monday night as to the alleged illegalities of the Irish sheriffs in their seizures for rent during prohibited hours,— indeed, it was impossible to get explicit replies from him. And his reply to Mr. Arnold Forster, on the same evening, as to the threats of Mr. Barry at Killavullen against Catholic farmers who had signed a petition against Home-rule, was still less explicit. We do not think that such fencing on the part of a responsible Minister, in reference to questions bearing expressly and gravely on the great political issue of the day, will at all facilitate those delicate combinations of groups on which the Administration has now to depend. In only one answer on Monday night did Mr. Morley frankly confess what it annoyed the Irish Home-rulers to hear. To that group, at least, he shows only too clearly how very anxious he is to keep well with it.
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