Mr. Goschen made two admirable speeches at Dundee on the
Friday and Saturday of last week. On Friday week, he showed that Mr. Gladstone had greatly overstated the case in relation to the Scotch Parliamentary vote in favour of Scotch Disestab- lishment. In 1886, indeed, 25 Scotch Radicals voted for Disestablishment, and 17 against it ; but there were so many abstentions, that it was quite impossible to say that a majority of Scotch Members favoured Disestablishment. In 1888, 38 Scotch Radicals voted for Disestablishment, and 20 against it; so that (as there are 72 Scotch Members) there was on that occasion an absolute majority of Scotch Members in favour of Disestablishment, though only an absolute majority of 2. Still, no one can say that in so voting they represented the feeling of their constituencies, as they had not been returned on the issue of Disestablishment ; indeed, they were, we suppose, returned chiefly to vote for Irish Home-rule, Dia- establishment having been in 1886 quite a secondary question. Mr. Goschen pointed out that majorities are constantly given for one purpose and used for another. This is perfectly true. And that seems to us to render it very advisable that the con- stituencies of all the Three Kingdoms should have the power of voting separately on a single issue, which such machinery as the Swiss Referendum would enable them to do. We wish Mr. Goschen would consider the advisability of adopting the Swiss Referendum. We believe it would be found both a popular and a Conservative constitutional force.
