Next week (May 7th) we alluded to the fact, which
was then notorious, that a very large number of Liberal as well as Unionist Members were at that time favourably inclined to the Referendum solution, and that the chief opposition then came from the Nationalists. We may add that at the time, though we could not mention the fact, it was an open secret that the Unionist leaders were very carefully considering the matter. Mr. Balfour's pointed reference to the Prime Minister, a reference which the context shows had nothing to do with the Conference, would seem to indicate that there had also been talk between the two Front Benches on the matter. Of this, however, we cannot profess to any first-hand knowledge. The explanation of the fact that people now talk as if the Referen- dum bad never been heard of till last autumn, ignoring altogether what occurred at the end of last April, is, we suppose, that King Edward's death suddenly diverted men's minds from the idea of the Poll of the People. When the matter was revived in the autumn, they had forgotten what had happened six months before !
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