Lord Londonderry, with a logic more courageous than c onvincing, drew
reassuring auguries from the by-elections. Mr. Masse tells us in the National Review that "electors will not vote for what they do not understand, and no one knows what a Baifourite ' is." According to Lord Londonderry, every day they saw candidates and supporters rallying round the banner of Mr. Balfour, who had told them distinctly at Edinburgh that be was no Protectionist. As time went on and the General Election came, he believed Mr. Balfour would be at the head of a strong and united Unionist party. He did not say that they would be returned again, but at any rate they would be a strong and united minority ready to check the Socialistic and Radical proposals that would undoubtedly be brought in. Here the Times report of the speech ends; but according to the version of the Exchange Telegraph Company, Lord Londonderry went on to declare that the Government was quite prepared for defeat. "Every by-election for the past two years had been a practical or a moral defeat. It was a sad confession to make, but it was useless not to make a clean breast of it." . We find it extremely hard to reconcile this dismal peroration with the
previons assertions about the wholesale flocking of disgruntled Protectionists to the banner of Mr. Balfour. But such incon- sistencies are inevitable in politicians who pin their faith to Mr. Balfour as a Free-trader and represent his policy as antagonistic to that of Mr. Chamberlain.
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