Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, who presided at a dinner given to
celebrate Liberal and Progressive victories in West Islington held at the Hotel Cecil on Wednesday, spoke at length on the Budget proposals of the Government, con- demning the Coal and Sugar taxes with great vigour, but ex- pressing his implicit trust in the integrity and anti-Protec- tionism of Sir Michael Hicks-Beach. Sir Henry began his speech by remarking that he "had always been most particular and scrupulous to disclaim for the Liberal party any responsibility for the war,—for the cause of the war, for the conduct of the war, and for the consequences of the war." He was less cautious later on in the evening, when, in replying to the toast of his health, he observed that "he was accused of having an abominable name and of always sitting on the fence. A nice, comfortable fence was a good place when the ground around one was marshy." This deliciously naive con- fession almost eclipses Sir Henry's famous advice to his party in May, 1899: "We must not be too sanguine, we need not be too rash." We note that Mr. Lough, M.P., the prin- cipal guest of the evening, testified that "the West Islington Liberals had followed one political faith from the beginning, namely, distrust of Mr. Chamberlain." If that be so, they have still to learn that a party which makes personal animosity a cardinal tenet of political faith condemns itself to sterility and failure.
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