On Thursday night Mr. Balfour spoke at a meeting of
the Junior Imperial and Constitutional League in Lambeth. The most important part of his speech dealt with Home Rule, which, he said, the Government had deliberately plotted to get over the head of the electorate under tho guise of a great Constitu- tional change. Hence the need for the refurbishing of the old arguments and the repetition of the old lessons. Mr. Balfour proceeded to say that he would not discuss the details of the Government's plan—for there was no Government plan in existence. At the first blush the suggestion of giving to the United Kingdom a Constitution similar to that of the colonies might appeal to the Imperial instinct. But the real position was absolutely different. The colonies had started by being separate states, and then had found the importance of being grouped under a strong central government. Their movement was from separation to centralisation, whereas the Government's proposals were precisely the opposite.
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