Page:The Annual Register 1899.djvu/17

 1899.] Mr. Balfour at Manchester. [9

do so in the counties. He did not at all believe it would do away with the demand for Home Eule, and he remained as firmly convinced as ever of the policy of that measure. In con- clusion, he said he would like to see the House of Lords reformed, for the Constitution could not work satisfactorily if one House had majorities varying from one party to the other, and the other a permanent division of several hundreds to forty.

Mr. A. J. Balfour, in accordance with his custom, paid a visit to his constituents on the eve of the meeting of Parliament. In his first speech (Jan. 30), he insisted upon the need of the revival of the Liberal party for the good of the nation. " Vast bodies of our fellow-countrymen by tradition belong to that party, and they only await the man and the policy again to become great and important factors in public life." In his opinion the Liberal party, notwithstanding Lord Bosebery's invitation, would not touch the House of Lords, by which body they were saved from the Home Eule Bill. At the same time he anticipated that under the force of circumstances, and the pressure of seventy organised votes, the necessity of advocating Home Eule was paramount. He thought, however, that it would be rather towards Disestablishment that the real efforts of the Liberals would be directed. After touching upon the frequent failure of ministers to understand the foreign nations whose policy they were studying, Mr. Balfour ended with a warm recognition of the fellowship of the English-speaking race, and an earnest hope for its maintenance.

Mr. Balfour's other speeches at Manchester (Jan. 31) were more limited in their scope, one being devoted to Irish university education, and the other to Sir Wm, Harcourt's campaign against the Eomanising tendency of certain clergy of the Church of England. On the former subject he carefully explained to his hearers that he was speaking his personal opinion, not that of the Cabinet, and he warmly vindicated his right to express, even against his own interests, views which he conscientiously held. On the university question he declared that he fully understood and appreciated the reasons which prevented Eoman Catholics sending their sons to Trinity College, Dublin; and recognising the immense importance of university training, he would wish to see a Eoman Catholic university established and endowed in Ireland. He was quite aware of the opposition to such a proposal which would be aroused in his own party, but he felt that his conscience moved him in that direction, and therefore he ought to follow its motioning.

On the other question Mr. Balfour's main thesis was that the bishops should be given a fair chance to restore order in the Church before Parliament was called upon to intervene. He refused to believe that the bishops, having both the will and the power to enforce discipline, would be disloyal to the Church of England. The apathy with which the bishops were upbraided was explained by their want of the assurance of support from