Mr. Shaw, in his interview with the representative of the
Morning Poet, declared that the baronet referred to was " a very prominent man, a very rich man, a very great newspaper owner too." He went on to explain that his own hobby was agriculture and that he made nothing out of offering honours. He ended by saying that he would be willing to give evidence before the Committee of Inquiry. That is an important point to the good. The Government proposal is that the Committee of Inquiry should merely suggest means of preventing scandals in future, but it is impossible to see how this can be done unless there is a diagnosis of the disease—that is to say, unless there is an inquiry into what has really happened in the past. The Duke of Northumberland's revelations provide the nation with an excellent opportunity for making its opinion felt and for forcing upon the Government the only kind of inquiry that will be of the least use in ending the present humiliations.
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