The Conservative meeting at East St. Pancras on Thursday was
not of much significance. Lord Dnnraven made, as is his wont, a rather windy speech, in which he appeared to make more than it deserved of the Irish-American leaning to Mr. Blaine, which was due, in Lord Dunraven's opinion, to Mr. Blaine's unfriendly feeling towards England. That is not un- likely. But Mr. Blaine, if he is unfriendly towards England, will only show it, we suspect, in a fashion more likely to be advantageous to us than disadvantageous,—we mean by his Protectionist tendencies. American Protection would injure the United States and the world, but it may rather benefit England. Baron Henry de Worms, who spoke at the same meeting, was anxious to make out that Lord Randolph Charohill does not sup- port the principle of the Closure by a mere bare majority. If be does not, the chief merit of his Bradford speech disappears. We are disposed, however, to think that Baron Henry de Worms does not know Lord Randolph Churchill's inner mind. And in any case, the whole drift of what he said pointed to the Closure by a bare majority. Though he did not specify exactly, there was no hint at all of any limit to the absolute authority which he wished to restore to the House of Commons over the course of its own business.
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