NEWS OF THE WEEK
THE most important event of the week has been Mr. Balfour's virtual announcement that the business of next Session will be an Irish Local Government Bill, constructed on "the same general principles" as the English and Scotch Acts. Mr. Healy attacked the Government during the discussion on the Irish Votes last Monday for not having brought in and passed such a Bill, whereupon Mr. Balfour remarked that he did not know whether, "if the Government brought in a Local Government Bill for Ireland, based, broadly speaking, on the same principles which governed the framing of similar Bills for England and Scotland, they would be able to count on the support of the honourable and learned gentleman." To this Mr. Healy replied, "Certainly." Then, said Mr. Balfour, he hoped in that case "that the time would not be too long delayed before the honourable Member would have an oppor- tunity of practically showing the Government the value of the support which he had just promised them." We have made some remarks on this very important announcement in another column. Here we will only say that it is the fill3t serious step which Mr. Balfour has taken in the government of Ireland that we regard with genuine alarm. Mr. Balfour is entitled to more than ordinary confidence in relation to Irish affairs. But we regard this resolve much as we should regard the proposal to plunge a patient just recovering from a sharp attack of influenza, with a weakened heart, into a cold bath for the purpose of " bracing " up his nerves.
