A great campaign against Home Rule was opened under the
auspices of the Lancashire and Cheshire Junior Conser- vative Association, the Liverpool Conservative Working Men's Association, the Union Defence League, and the Unionist Associations of Ireland on Monday. Meetings were held in twenty-five towns on that night, and although no attempt was made to exclude political opponents, in only cue case—at Horwich—was there a Were to carry a resolution condemning Heine Rule. Sir Edward Carson and Mr. F. E. Smith spoke at LiverpoolaMr. Walter Long at Preston, Mr. Austen Chamber- lain at Bury, and Sir R. Finlay at Crewe. We cannot attempt to summarize the speeches, but may note that Mr. Long dealt effectively with Colonial analogies and the foolish contempt of Ulster feeling shown by the Government, while Sir R. Finlay expressed amazement that Sir Edward Grey should persuade himself that the electors would ever believe that the Government had adopted the Home Rule policy to relieve the congestion of business at Westminster. The truth was that Mr. Asquith had never moved a finger for Home Rule till the Irish vote had become a necessity for him—Mr. Asquith who some years ago said that no Liberal Government could hold office dependent upon the Irish vote.
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