Mr. Balfour made a speech at Bradford on Wednesday in'
favour of Lord Randolph Churchill's candidature for the- Central Division of Bradford, which now returns Mr. Shaw- Lefevre. He endeavoured to imitate the provident policy of those journals which prepare long obituary notices of distin- guished men whose decease is expected, before they actually die, by preparing such an obituary notice of the Government, which he expects to depart this life at the next General Elec- tion. It had achieved only one considerable legislative reform, —the Parish Councils Act—had thrown overboard a goo& Employers' Liability Bill which it might have passed, and for the rest had nothing to show for itself but promises of very doubtful value. It therefore relies chiefly on its adminis- trative reforms, and Mr. Asquith is never tired of bringing- out his new factory inspectors in long parade to supply the place of legislative Acts. " These inspectors have figured in every one of Mr. Asquith's speeches. They figure also in the- last speech of the present Prime Minister. They walk round' and round the political stage like the armies which we see at the theatre, and they appear so often before us that we begin. almost to think that we really have to do with a phenomenon of extraordinary magnitude." Mr. Balfour also devoted a considerable part of his speech to the attitude of the Administration towards the House of Lords, but on that we have commented sufficiently in a separate column.
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