In the course of the debate which followed, Lord Cromer
drew special attention to the trimmer in which the Govern- ment had treated the Sinking Fund. He expressed the strong hope that at least six and a half millions would in the future be devoted each year to the reduction of Debt. He also com- mented on the heavy fall in the price of Consols, a fall which took place at a period when other Government stocks were rising. In his opinion, the financial policy of his Majesty's Government had shaken the confidence of the money market. The Lord Chancellor concluded the debate for the Govern- ment in a spirited speech, in which he declared that the Cabinet intended to procure a state of freedom in one condi- tion or another. " We will not continue as a Government in chains. Either we will be free in the sense that we are out of office, or as a Government we will be free in the sense that we will have power if we have responsibility." No doubt free- dom is a very pleasant thing, but it is perhaps not out of place to assert that the Government will hardly achieve it even if they have their way with the House of Lords. Do they imagine that the destruction of the powers of the Upper House will make them free from the control of Mr. Redmond ? The Government have been in chains ever since Parliament met, and their colour has been green.
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