[To THE EDITOR or THE "SrEcnuoie."] Sni,—A Liberal all my
life, I seem to have lost anchorage the last few days. Recent events try one's faith in men. The Strike Committee which met Mr. Asquith declared that his sternness surprised them. Their sense of rectitude on that occasion was certainly not conspicuous, but where was their sense of humour? These men went to the Premier, a man of integrity, and they proposed to put an end to the 1907 scheme, which they had agreed to continue until 1914, and to call out the men without giving the usual legal notice. They had no case for urgency, and they knew that a strike at 24 hours' notice meant national misery, loss, and danger. Did they expect Mr. Asquith serenely to congratulate them on their sense of honour ? Has the Premier been accustomed to commend the things which are despicable? The manner of the Premier eloquently expressed his contempt, and in his heart every man before him quite well understood his mean.
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