Page:The Annual Register 1899.djvu/15

 1899.] Sir Edward Grey on Public Affairs. [7

this speech, and to show on how many vital points Mr. Morley was out of sympathy with the majority of his own party in the House of Commons. Speaking to the members of the Liverpool Reform Club (Jan. 20) Sir Edward Grey defended the attitude of his friends towards the Irish party. The Liberals did co-operate with the Irish party in the House of Commons, and they might co-operate with them again ; but it was no part of their aspirations, and it could be no part of the intentions of the Liberal party to go into office dependent upon the Irish party. He thought the country had not given up Home Rule, but only suspended its judgment, and that the new County Councils would only give a new outlet to Irish feeling, and that the outcome of their working would be that the Home Rule demand would grow up again with new life and new vigour. Coming to the more dangerous ground of Irish uni- versity education, two things impressed him — the necessity of this suggestion, and its unpopularity with both political parties in England ; meantime Ireland was being starved for want of university education. Sir Edward Grey next turned to the charge of Jingoism brought against the Liberal party by some of its own members. He asked pertinently did any portion of that party propose to evacuate Egypt and the Soudan? In China we wanted not a sphere of influence or interest so much as a better understanding with Russia. The whole burden of the criticism of the Opposition had been that the Government was so wooden, so wanting in intelligent anticipation of events that it allowed matters to drift to a deadlock.

The hesitation and confusion of the Liberal party, however, were even more strongly marked at a meeting of the party at the National Liberal Club, called to discuss the " Liberal policy,' ' upon which no two speakers seemed able to agree; whilst there was almost equal divergence of opinion as to who should be regarded as leader of the Liberal party outside the House of Commons. Sir R. T. Reid, M.P., who presided, thought it would be gross ingratitude to say anything unkind of Sir William Harcourt, and forthwith denounced various acts in which that gentleman had been closely associated. Mr. Labouchere denounced Mr. Asquith ; and Lord Coleridge declared Mr. Morley's reasons for resignation were positively childish ; whilst Mr. Lloyd George, M.P., declaring m favour of a strong Navy as a protection against militarism, maintained that on questions of foreign policy there was no appreciable difference between Mr. Morley, Mr. Asquith and Lord Rose- bery. The meeting, as might be anticipated, arrived at no practical results, and outsiders asked how in the face of such divergence of opinion the Liberal party could be reconstituted before the next general election.

The remaining speeches of the recess, as the meeting of Parlia- ment drew near, multiplied in number without adding much to public enlightenment. Those most worth noticing were from the