The most important part of his speech,—barring, perhaps, that on
the impracticability of the Labour party, which he scolded with a somewhat dangerous frankness,—was his sugges- tion that it was desirable to include the constituent portions of the United Kingdom in a network -d subordinate Legislatures of more or less the same kind as those which we have already given to our self-governing Colonies. That is a very astounding suggestion, and not the suggestion of a statesman. If not only Ireland but Scotland, and perhaps Wales, are to have some sort of Colonial independence, the United Kingdom, as- a very loosely knit federation, will no longer be a really great Kingdom at all. There will be no political core to the federation, nothing to compare with the Government of France, or even with that of the United States. Yet Lord. Rosebery talks of devolution of local business as if that were all that is involved in this movement for giving Ireland a separate Administration as well as a separate Legislature, and putting all sorts of obstacles in the way of any quick and resolute collective action. Lancashire, we venture to say, will be more alarmed than attracted by the "light heart" with which Lord Rosebery talks of crumbling up the British power.
