Sir William Harcourt made a speech at Bradford on Wed-
nesday, which contained nothing of importance beyond his declaration of war to the knife with the present Government, and his rather shameless avowal of his obstructive tactics. He speaks of the " fury of our antagonists ;" but, so far as we can judge, the fury of the obstructionists is a furnace heated to seven times the heat of any fury displayed by Ministers. " Questions," he said, " are very useful things. But they may be evaded by people who are adroit in manipulating answers, and the Secretary for Ireland is a very good hand at them. No, gentlemen, there is nothing like the Committee of Supply for getting at the real truth of the ease; and we have had a good turn in the Committee of Supply upon a vote on account." Whether the Opposition will profit by their tactics in this matter is, we think, exceedingly questionable. The constituencies do not like obstruction, and they know how Gladstonian obstruction when Conservatives are in power, is too apt to breed Conservative obstruction when Gladatonians are in power. Indeed, the process is a treadmill which yields nothing but disgust to all moderate politicians. Sir William Harcourt, however, seems to enjoy stirring up all the political mud, and turning the House of Commons into a warning rather than an example to all other free Legislatures.
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