Lord Randolph gave a curious illustration of his madcap recklessness
of statement in the course of his speech. He assured his audience that in the election of 1874, Mr. Brodrick and his supporters had promised the labourers a good cottage,
slate-roofed, and with a fertile garden rent free if they for the Liberal. Mr. Brodrick, in a singularly temperate letter to yesterday's Times, observes upon the unfortunateness of this-state- ment so far as anything said by himself or by any of his friends speaking in his presence is concerned, for he had always been particularly careful to tell the labourers not only how far the success of the Liberal might tend to result in changes eventually useful to them, but how much room there might be for sanguine expectation that could only end in disappointment. Mr. Bred- rick is careful to add that he does not at all attribute to Lord Randolph any intentional misstatement. Well, as to that, we should reserve our own judgment. The truth is that Lord Randolph is so reckless, that he probably counts upon the sensible part of his audience freely discounting his words.
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