Lord Hartington addressed a great Liberal Unionist meeting, 6,000 strong,
at York on Wednesday, though the Home- rulers declare that there are only about thirty Liberal Unionists in the great county. That, however, is of course mere brag. The Liberal Unionists of Yorkshire supported Lord Harting- ton most enthusiastically, and he himself took a much more hopeful tone in addressing them than he had taken in speaking to the Lancashire deputation at Chatsworth, on August 11th. He pointed out the absurdity of speaking of Liberal Unionists as wolves in sheep's clothing, when they threaten nobody, but are organised solely for the purpose of defending classes, persons, and property threatened by others, and resemble, in fact, watch-dogs more than either wolves or sheep. He concluded his speech by insisting very vigorously on the mockery of telling the people that all power had been com- mitted to them, and then permitting the minority absolutely to obstruct its exercise by the majority. To this, a Home rule organ has replied that the English people do not care, first because they are quite satisfied that the Irishmen are bound to. be hostile and obstruct, so long as
their " century. old " grievance is not redressed ; and next, that devolution ought to be " tried " before any effort is made to put down obstruction. That is a singularly cool answer. If the majority are quite content that the minority should render them powerless, the democracy is quite content to be without power, of which naturally we should like to have a little evidence. And to say that devolution must be " tried " before obstruction is crushed, is like saying that you must put it out of your power to draw back without civil war, before even trying the effect of letting the majority really govern.
