Lord Rosebery has dropped all the air of moderation with
which for a time he discussed the Irish Home-rule Question, and has come out almost as hot a Home-ruler as Mr. T. P. O'Connor or Mr. Timothy Healy. In his speech at Birming- ham on Thursday, he said the Duke of Argyll's language about Ulster was quite as reprehensible as any language used by Lord George Gordon before the famous London Riots, the only differ- ence being that whereas Lord George Gordon had followers, the Duke of Argyll had none. That is all very well ; but Lord Rosebery is as uneasy about the Ulster movement as it is possible for a statesman to be, and carefully avoids maintaining that it would be the duty of a successful Home- rule Government to put down resistance in Ulster by force of arms. Lord Rosebery maintains that Mr. Gladstone is justified in concealing his intentions as to Home-rule. That may be. But in that case, the country will be justified in insisting on another General Election before it sanctions any plan on which the country has never passed a judgment.
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