THE APPEAL TO MODERATE LIBERAL&
[To TIM EDITOR or TRR "SPECTATOR.'"] Sra,—In your last issue you say "The moderate Liberals may yet save us from civil war if they will only make their influence felt. Can they refuse to make the effort P" Cer- tainly not; but they must be appealed to as still Liberals, not as concealed Conservatives. As an example, the British Covenant comes fathered by Tories and smelling of Toryism in some ways, which keeps Liberal Unionists from signing. In the town in which I live it is only offered for Signature at Conservative quarters. The democracy will not go there to sign. Cannot some simple document be drawn up protesting against the employment of our Army or Navy against our loyal compatriots, and also demanding the removal of the time- limit from the measure for Exclusion until they themselves express a wish for Inclusion P Here Liberals, who fear the effects of this Home Rule Bill, may find common ground with others who wish also to upset the Parliament Act, and to turn out the present Government. For neither of the latter things would I stir a finger, but I would do all in my power to prevent the old ascendancy, which was not a good thing, being followed by a new ascendancy which, as history shows, would be very much worse. Personally, I should like to see a Federal scheme proposed, and then, when we subdivide England, we might have eyes to see that there are two Irelands, and that—as things are—Dublin is the natural spot in which to locate one subordinate Legislature, and Belfast as natural a location for another. Each might prove a cheek upon the other, and so keep us from either extreme. This, of course, would need such a Conference as Lord Loreburn suggested, and such a spirit as his letter breathed. But if this be not practicable, the suggestion of the earlier part of this letter surely is.—I am, Sir, &c., Ace OLD SUBSCRIBER.
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