On Wednesday the Duke of Devonshire presided at a meet-
ing of the Liberal Unionist Council and Association, at which the differences between him and Mr. Chamberlain were brought to an issue on the proposals moved by Mr. Chamberlain to dissolve and reconstitute the Council and Association. Though the Duke of Devonshire pointed out that under the new constitution" there would be nothing whatever to prevent the Council and Association from adopting in its fullest com- pleteness the Fiscal policy of the Tariff Reform League," whereas before they were confined to the one object of maintaining the Union, the new constitution was carried by a large majority. The result must, of course, be that the Duke and his followers will resign, or, rather, not rejoin the new Association, for the dissolution of the old bodies and their reconstitution involves the rendering vacant of all offices. Mr. Chamberlain has thus already destroyed the Liberal Unionist party—as he is fast destroying the Unionist party as a whole—though be no doubt contemplates retaining the name as a picturesque appellation for what will be in fact a branch of the Tariff Reform League. We trust, how. ever, that the Free-trade Liberal Unionists will not submit to his thus monopolising their name; but will found for them- selves a new body, which shall undertake the double duty of seeing that neither Free-trade nor the Union is repealed.
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