The Freeman's Journal, which does not know what it would
be at, is very angry, both with Mr. Leatham and with us, for our strong view that the union with Ireland should be preserved even at the cost of civil war. We observe that the Belfast Northern Whig, in replying to the Freeman's Journal, declares in the most uncompromising fashion that it is not English Liberals alone, but Ulster Liberals, who would prefer civil war to the beginning of disintegration by the concession of Home- rule to Ireland. The Freeman's Journal prefers, at present, Tory to Liberal Government, because it thinks that more could be squeezed out of a Tory Government,—by the help of Radical aid,—than could be squeezed out of a Liberal Government by the help of the " Fourth Party." And, of course, the Freeman's Journal has a perfect right to that rather ambiguous position. But why it should fall foul of Mr. Leatham and of us for re- garding the integrity of the kingdom as the first condition of sound policy, is not very apparent. There ie nothing very illiberal in objecting to go back to the Heptarchy ; and there is nothing very illiberal in declining to take the opinion of a journal which favours the Tories as to what Liberalism should imply.
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