Mr. Goschen is clearly not going to desert the Liberals.
His speech at St. Leonard's on Friday week on behalf of Mr. lades- wick, though moderate, and in some passages cautionary—for example, he deprecated making any promises which cannot be fulfilled in the next Parliament—was thoroughly Liberal in tone. He assented heartily to the programme put forward by Mr. Gladstone. He ie cordially willing to make land as easy of transfer as stock, and bade the lawyers exert themselves to make it possible instead of impossible, abolishing on their road pri- mogeniture, settlement, and, we presume, stamp-duties. He would so reform Procedure as to give the majority full power of executing the will of the country. He would reform the House of Lords, though he wishes for an authoritative Second Chamber which should be respected by the country. He would cover the whole land with Municipalities, and give them large powers, though we imagine he prefers the federal plan to the direct plan,—that is, he would elect County Councils through Parish Councils. He desires a large extension of small proprietors, even if it can be shown that small proprietors rather injure cultivation ; but would not allow expropriation, not thinking Corporations so absolutely beyond the possibility of error as Mr. Chamberlain does. He would extend all privileges of self- government to Ireland; but would not create National Councils, which would rapidly become Parliaments. Finally, he agreed that the Liberal sections must work together ; and while depre- cating attacks on veterans, spoke in no unkindly tone of the "young Generals" of the Liberal army.
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