Lord Rosebery's two party speeches at Leeds—one on Tuesday, to
a great public gathering in the Coliseum, the other
on Wednesday, to the members of the Junior Liberal Associa- tion in the Philosophical Hall—though they exhibited his usual humour, were, politically, singularly pointless. The first speech, but for the comparison of the Liberal Unionist orators to the unemployed in Amsterdam, set to pump under such conditions "that if they did not continue constantly pumping; they would infallibly be drowned," was a dreary waste of stale political diatribes. Lord Rosebery did, however, make one announce- ment as to policy,—namely, that the first thing the Glad- stonians would do if they returned to power, would be to put an end to coercion. As to the nature of Home-rule, he was, however, as vague as Mr. Gladstone or Mr. Morley. Whatever we do, we will at least not maintain the authority of the law,' is, in fact, the sole policy of the Gladstonians,— certainly the most curious policy for which English electors have ever been asked to vote. Lord Rosebery's second speech was chiefly devoted to answering the charge that at twenty- four hours' notice "we all changed our opinions, in response to the anxiety of Mr. Gladstone to obtain office." In truth, "Mr. Gladstone was rather behind than before." As may be imagined, Lord Rosebery's light-hearted attempt to prove that he and the rest of the Gladstonian leaders were all along Home-rulers (why not anti-coercionists too ?) partook some- what of the nature of burlesque.
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