RULE. ' matter came up for discussion in the House of Commons, "and, if he mistook not, the entire Liberal party voted.. "in favour of giving to Ireland the money which Ireland actually received under the Bill passed this year. "The Unionist party, whilst adhering to the policy of popularizing local government in Ireland, had not ceased "to believe that some sort of safeguard was still necessary "for the minority. What safeguard was to be introduced? "Here came in the unique opportunity. On the one hand "there was the reasonable claim of Ireland to be treated "in respect to agricultural land in the way that England. "had been treated. On the other hand there was the "establishment of local government on a democratic basis. They united the two policies. They divided the agricultural grant between the tenants on the one hand " and the landlords on the other, giving to the tenants the "larger share, and to the landlords the smaller share, but they so contrived that the share of the landlords should "be applied in a way that made it possible to reorganise "the entire rating system of Ireland, and to provide for "the landlords those safeguards which they considered 66 they were entitled to against the danger of fiscal "oppression which they dreaded from this great change "in the local government of the country. . HOME "The two policies of Home Rule and extended local government were alternative policies. The distinction "between Home Rule and local government was not merely a distinction of degree, but a distinction of kind. But Home Rule was not dead, and it would "not die while Ireland sent 80 members to Parliament. "The demand for Home Rule was likely to survive, for "many years, the removal even of the genuine grievances on which it was fed. The danger was present still. The "Unionist party, who had saved the country from a great "disaster, must not dream of disarming, of disbanding their forces, or even of relaxing for a single instant their vigilance until the task which called them into exist66 ence as a united party had been fully and finally "accomplished." 66 Times, Dec. 21st, 1898, WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION SCHEMES. In the November (1898) number of Memoranda a summary was given of the 50 Schemes which had been approved by the Chief Registrar of Friendly Societies up to October 12th. Up to the 12th December 5 additional Schemes had been approved. No less than 39 of the 55 Schemes relate to coal miners, but the two largest concern railway servants. Of the remaining 14, seven relate to various classes of metal workers; six to pottery, glass, chemical, cement, and sugar operatives; and one to persons employed in gasworks. In the case of 42 of the 55 Schemes, the numbers of work people affected are given, and the results, so far as recorded, may be summarised as follows: RADICAL LEAFLETS. We recommend Liberal Unionist speakers to obtain from time to time the leaflets published by the National Liberal Federation, 41, Parliament Street, S.W. These leaflets will be found to contain matter, which for the most part can be best dealt with on the platform. We have only space enough to notice one of them here. It is headed-" LIBERAL v. TORY EXPENDITURE, Liberal Economy and Tory Extravagance," and proceeds : "The total expenditure during the three years the late Liberal Government was in power was: *1892-3 1894-5 ... Average per year £99,645,000 99,344,000 101,741,000 £100,243,000. *Liberals came into power August 18th, 1892. "The total expenditure during the three years the present Tory Government has been in power has been : 117,639,000 Average per year cost £112,137,000. Tories came into power July 2nd, 1895. "Thus the present Tory Government has the country on an average nearly TWELVE MILLIONS OF POUNDS each year more than their Liberal predecessors." On the other side of the leaflet are further figures giving the chief heads of expenditure by the two Governments for the two periods of three years ending March 31st, 1895, and March 31st, 1898. The totals are: Radical Government. Unionist Government. £298,040,000. "Thus the present Tory Government, to meet "the net public expenditure, have been obliged "in their three years to raise by taxation from "the people NEARLY THIRTY FOUR "MILLIONS OF POUNDS more than the late "Liberal Government were obliged to raise in a similar period. While an increase in certain items may be justified, yet such an enormous expenditure is the outcome |