The alliance between the Tories and Nationalists, which is the
great present fact of Ireland, is becoming more definite. Captain Harman, the Tory candidate for Mayo, for example, has issued a second address, containing this sentence :—" From a well- grounded conviction that Irishmen alone are entitled and compe- tent to regulate the affairs of their native country, I firmly believe that the time has come when they should claim the restoration of their native Parliament, and upon that platform— Home Rule—I boldly take my stand." The National papers welcome this utterance, and mistaken as we believe the policy to be, we disagree utterly with its English critics. They say an Irish Tory who utters such sentiments is necessarily a dishonest man. Why ? We can quite see why a wise Irishman would cling to the Empire rather than to the province, but we do not see why the Tory should not be as national as the Ultra-Radical. Indeed, we can foresee conditions under which the National ?Ole should befit the Tory rather than the Liberal, jest as we foresee conditions under which the Protestant, and not the Catholic, will claim the United States as an ally.
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