hensive of criticism and of opposition; but I must say I have
never heard of a Party which was in such a jumpy, nervous state as our
opponents are at this present time. If one is led in the course of a
speech, as I sometimes am, to speak a little firmly and bluntly about
the Conservative tariff reformers, they become almost speechless with
indignation. They are always in a state of incipient political
apoplexy, while as for the so-called Liberal Unionists, whenever they
are criticised, they never leave off whining and say that it is
unchivalrous to attack them while Mr. Chamberlain is disabled. Sorry I
am that he is out of the battle, not only on personal, but on public
grounds. His fiercest opponents would welcome his re-entry into the
political arena, if only for the fact that we should then have a man
to deal with, and some one whose statement of the case for his side
would be clear and bold, whose speeches would be worth reading and
worth answering, instead of the melancholy marionettes whom the
wire-pullers of the Tariff Reform League are accustomed to exhibit on
provincial platforms. But I hope you will not let these pretexts or
complaints move you or prevent you from calling a spade a spade, a tax
a tax, a protective tariff a gigantic dodge to cheat the poor, or the
Liberal Unionist party the most illiberal thing on record.

But if the tariff reformers are so touchy and intolerant that they
resent the slightest attack or criticism from their opponents as if it
were sacrilege, that is nothing to the fury which they exhibit when
any of their friends on the Conservative side begin to ask a few
questions. One would have thought at least that matters of such
gravity and such novelty should be considered fairly on their merits.
But what does Mr. Austen Chamberlain say? He tells us that no
hesitation will be tolerated from Unionist Members of Parliament in
regard to any tariff reform proposals which may in a future Parliament
be submitted--by whoever may be the Chancellor of the Exchequer. No
hesitation will be tolerated. Not opposition, not criticism, not
dissent, but no hesitation will be tolerated. The members of the
Unionist Party are to go to the next Parliament, not as honest
gentlemen, free to use their minds and intelligences. They are to go
as the pledged, tied-up delegates of a caucus, forced to swallow
without hesitation details of a tariff which they have not even seen;
denied the right which every self-resp