On the strengthening of the Navy Mr. Morley gave forth
a very uncertain sound. It looks as if he meant to throw all possible difficulties in the way, while protesting that he is as anxious for a strong Navy as the Government. But the only point of real interest in his speech was his admission that the chief difficulty of Irish Home-rule is the concession of execu- tive power to an Irish Government which might not be friendly to England,—a point on which he thought it would be easy to provide safeguards that would remove all danger. It is obvious, however, that what Mr. Morley is thinking of is only the external danger of the admission of hostile fleets into Irish waters. What Lord Salisbury means when he speaks of the intolerable danger of a separate Irish Executive, is much more than this ; it is of the danger of having Irish Ministers, Magistrates, constabulary, police, whose orders will involve the oppression of the Irish minority, as well as the admission of open foes into Irish waters. We dread the former danger much more than the latter ; but it is a danger of which Mr. Morley evidently takes no account.
