"prevent a single person from exercising more suffrages "than one, but see that every man who had fulfilled the simple qualification was placed by public authority "without expense to himself or his party on the register. "Provided that was done he did not care very much what "their Tory friends might attempt in the way of redistribu"tion. But what good would a Liberal House of Commons HOUSE OF "be able to do if it was to continue to be overridden LORDS. "by the caprice of the House of Lords? The

experience of even the last three years was sufficient to "refute its claims to be an impartial, serene, imperturbable revising body. It had humbly passed, at the dictation of "the Tory Government, measures which, had they come "from a Liberal Government, it would have rejected. "without a moment's hesitation. It was no good whatever sending the Liberals back to Parliament with a "Liberal programme, and looking to them at Westminster "to pass through the House of Commons measures em"bodying and carrying out great social reforms, unless they were prepared at the same time to give them power "to get rid, one way or another, of this permanent obstacle "to the achievement of popular reform. He expressed "his own deliberate opinion that it was nothing more nor "less than ploughing the sand to have a Liberal House of "Commons attempting to do Liberal work so long as they "confided to a non-representative and irresponsible body "the powers which the House of Lords at present possessed."

Times, December 2nd, 1898.

MR. CHAMBERLAIN AT WAKEFIELD.

On December 8th, Mr. Chamberlain addressed a meeting at Wakefield. He referred at the outset to the question which was, he said, after all the text of all political discourse, viz. :— "By whom shall the Queen's Government be carried on?”

"And, remember, it is not a trial to which you are "called; it is an arbitration. You have not merely to try "us, but you have to judge our opponents also, and you "have to consider whether, if you got rid of us to-morrow, you would be much better off, and whether our successors "would give you any greater satisfaction."

CHINA.

With regard to an agreement with Russia in China, he said:

"Now, I have said that our endeavours to come to an 66 agreement did not have any success at that time; but I "believe that an agreement with Russia is desirable, and I "would even say that it is necessary unless very serious "complications are to be encountered. But I would go on, "and add that there are no insurmountable obstacles to "such a friendly arrangement.that I believe it is quite possible "to conciliate what we may call the reasonable ambition of "Russia with the fixed and settled policy of this country "to maintain equal opportunities in trade for all other "nations. I hope that we may arrive at such a settlement, "and I admit I am more sanguine that we shall do so "because it is not our interest alone, because our objects, "those we have in view, are also shared by other nations. "Japan, Germany, the United States of America, all have "identical interests.

ALLIANCES.

"I am reminded of a criticism which has been "made by Mr. Asquith where, in spite of his great acuteness, he seems to me to have misapprehended the "Government's policy with regard to alliance and understanding with other nations. He taunts me with incon"sistency. He says:- Mr. Chamberlain at one time boasts "of the splendid isolation of this country, and at another "time he is touting for alliances.' The language is "inelegant, it may even be mischievous, but let that pass. "There is no inconsistency in the two attitudes, which "refer to altogether different circumstances. When I spoke, "as I shall speak again, of the splendid isolation of this "country, I gave expression to my deep-seated conviction "that the British Empire, by which I mean the United "Kingdom and her children across the seas, is well able to