The Duke of Devonshire delivered a vigorous address to the
Women's Liberal Unionist Federation on Wednesday, in the Prince's Hall, Piccadilly, artfully conciliating the ladies who desire the franchise, by explaining to them that he as a Peer is under even greater political disabilities than they. He said that he had not quite Sir William Harcourt's belief in the power of majorities to change the meaning of words, and to transform " deserter " into the name for politicians who hold to their old political creed, and "the faithful" into the name for politicians who, at the word of command, throw off their former principles. In his opinion, the smaller the number of those who stick to their principles, the more moral credit they should have for it He did not in the least believe that Mr. Gladstone could by any possibility invent a new Home-rule policy which would be free from the objections of his former policy in 1886. The only conceivable plans were a plan restoring such independence as belonged to Grattan's Parliament ; a plan of dualism such as that of Sweden and Norway ; a plan of federalism like that of the United States ; a plan of Colonial independence ; or some compromise between, or com- bination of, some of these. None of them would meet the case of Ireland, and in his belief Mr. Gladstone's plan would greatly resemble that of 1886, with certain modifications for- the worse, resulting from Mr. Gladstone's promise to retain Irish representatives in the Central Parliament. Professor Dicey followed the Duke in an eloquent speech, in which he- expressed his conviction that Mr. Gladstone would make the Central Parliament nominally supreme, and the Dublin Parlia- ment really independent. Real concessions will be made to the Irish ; Great Britain will be offered the barren dignity of having a legal right to do what she will not be allowed to do.
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