On Thursday evening Mr. Balfour moved the second reading of
the Medical Relief Bill, and received, very uncomfort- ably, the effusive thanks of Mr. Jesse Collings for his goodness in going far beyond what he himself had ventured to propose. Mr. Pell made an able speech in favour of sticking to the principle that any kind of poor-relief ought to disqualify for a vote; and Mr. Arthur Balfour, who seems in his heart to agree thoroughly with Mr. Pell, and to be thoroughly disgusted with having earned the effusive thanks of Mr. Jesse Collings, made a very quaint speech, in which he professed his belief that, on an average, not much above two electors in a thousand would have been disqualified, for voting by re- ceiving medical relief; and he declared thit it was necessary to prevent them from being thus disqualified, in order that Mr. Chamberlain might not be able to go about boasting that the Tories wanted to cheat the labourers of their rights. Mr. Chamberlain, with great address, complimented the Tory Government on so effectively carrying out his own views, and hoped he might keep his predominant influence over them to the end of their administration. Finally, Mr. Pell's amendment was negatived, by a majority of 279 to 20, and the Committee was fixed for Tuesday. So long as the Tories act like Radicals,
the Radicals will almost prefer their Government to their own. You can do by a reluctant but impotent deputy even more than you can do in your own name.
