The Duke of Devonshire, speaking on Tuesday at a dinner
in St. James's Hall, given by the Liberal Union Club in honour of Lord Wollner, declared that the new Home-rule Bill "fails in every respect to meet almost every one of the objections which we took to the Bill of 1886." Alluding to Mr. Gladstone's complaints that Ulster had ceased to be Nationalist in spirit, he declared that the Prime Minister appeared absolutely incapable of understanding the position of Ulster, which on grounds, not of passion and prejudice, but of reason and experience, had become, instead of "the most discontented, the most disloyal, and the most turbulent part of Ireland," "the most prosperous, the most loyal, and the most contented." This is the true answer to those who .declare that the Union has been a failure, and that, therefore, we must try another remedy, and we are glad that the Liberal Unionist leader dwelt upon it so strongly. Mr. Gladstone had answered the question, Why not let it alone P with, But I will not let it alone ; but " I am very much mistaken," said the Duke of Devonshire, "if, when the question is asked, the people of this country will not tell him that if he and his friends cannot devise some escape from the insuperable difficul- ties which, with so much skill, be described, he must for the future let it alone."
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