Mr. George W. E. Russell, Mr. P. W. Claydon, and
Mr. H. J. Torr, none of them at present in the House of Commons, sent to Monday's Times a very terse, and in style a very imperious, letter, stating that after " a private conference of Liberal politicians from London and the provinces," held on November 11th (Wednesday week) at the Inns of Court Hotel, the following resolutions were passed :--(1) " This meeting is of opinion that the policy of non-party agitation in relation to the Armenian question has been a failure, and that the question should be taken up by the Liberal party on party lines." (2) "This meeting recognises that the present Eastern situation is mainly the result of Conservative policy in the past ; that Lord Salisbury, as a member of the Berlin Congress, is especially responsible for the existing state of affairs in Armenia ; and, therefore, that the present Ministry cannot be trusted to deal with the Armenian question." That will, of course, be a tremendous blow for Lord Salisbury, but we should expect that Lord Rose- bery will feel it almost more keenly. Was not his great speech directly after resigning his Liberal leadership a declaration against any active Armenian policy, and did it not go a good deal beyond any declaration of Lord Salisbury's P If Lord Salisbury trembles before the meeting at the Inns of Court Hotel, Lord Rosebery will hardly survive it. But whether the Radical triumvirate will succeed in carrying any sub- stantial portion of the Radical party with them, we greatly doubt. We doubt Mr. George Russell's power to regenerate the Liberal party. His effort will resemble in its insignificance, we suspect, poor little Louis's celebrated " baptism of fire " in 1870.
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