Sir Stafford Northcote did not dwell much on Ihome politics,
but in his Wednesday's speech he did say that though the Government had been taunted with encouraging " permissive " legislation, he thought that what was referred to should be called rather " empowering " than " permissive " legislation, since it empowered the people to do for themselves what no Govern- ment could do effectually for them. By the Friendly Societies' Act and the Artisans' Dwellings' Act, the people were em- powered to do what was needful for their own benefit, and what no central authority could do so well for them. As far as regards the Artisans' D welling Act, that may be true, but in the case of the Friendly Societies Act it certainly is not. There was never anything to prevent Friendly Societies from managing their affairs on the most perfect principles, and they needed no "empowering." What was needed was some protection for ignorant persons against the misrepresentations of unsound Friendly Societies, and this Sir Stafford'Northcote's Act did not give them. In just the same sense, the Conference was evidently an " empowering " Conference,—empowering Turkey to do what she had always full power to do, but no wish to do, and what she has no wish to do, now that the empowering Conference has empowered itself to disperse.
