Mr. Plunket made a Conservative speech on Wednesday at Bethnal
Green, the art of which consisted in the majestic innocence which he affected of any proceeding by the new Government which had invited attack or called for apology. He had evidently never heard of Mr. Parnell's Maamtrasna motion, and knew nothing of Lord Randolph Churchill's sneers at Lord Spencer's administration. He had never heard of a single criticism on himself or his colleagues, and regarded the Liberal Party as the only one which is in any degree divided against itself. The consequence was that, having, as he thought, a maiden assize to deal with, he could not think of anything to say on behalf of the Tories, except that they are very much attached to the Colonies, and that the Colonies are very much attached to them. As for the Liberals, he made very merry over Lord Rosebery's metaphorical umbrella. He compared itto Mrs. Gamp's "nasty old gingham," which was a very deplor- able affair when one remembered the "rainbow beauties of the brand-new umbrella of 1880." We think that the Tory policy, on the other hand, might be compared to a very dilapidated old parasol rather than to an umbrella of any kind. Their hankerings after retaliatory duties, a protective tariff, and after foreign occupations, suggest much more a policy for sheltering us from the sunshine, than a policy for keeping off the rain. Liberals ail;, at all events, at keeping out the bad weather, so far as they can. Tories too often aim at keeping out the good.
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