as to the wisdom of a policy
accepted by the party, and announced by the acknowledged leader of the
whole party. When the party had found some more tried, more trusted, more
worthy leader, then might perhaps be the time to impugn the policy. These
reproachful ironies of Lord Hartington boded ill for any prospect of the
heroes of this fratricidal war of the platform smoothing their wrinkled
fronts in a liberal cabinet.

IV

In Ireland the result shed a strong light on the debating prophecies that
the extension of the county franchise would not be unfavourable to the
landlord interest; that it would enable the deep conservative interest of
the peasantry to vindicate itself against the nationalism of the towns;
that it would prove beyond all doubt that the Irish leader did not really
speak the mind of a decided majority of the people of Ireland. Relying on
the accuracy of these abstract predictions, the Irish tories started
candidates all over the country. Even some of them who passed for shrewd
and candid actually persuaded themselves that they were making an
impression on the constituencies. The effect of their ingenuous operations
was to furnish such a measure of nationalist strength, as would otherwise
have seemed incredible almost to the nationalists themselves. An instance
or two will suffice. In two divisions of Cork, the tories polled 300 votes
against nearly 10,000 for the nationalists. In two divisions of Mayo, the
tories polled 200 votes against nearly 10,000 for the nationalists. In one
division of Kilkenny there were 4000 nationalist votes against 170 for the
tory, and in another division 4000 against 220. In a division of Kerry the
nationalist had over 3000 votes against 30 for the tory,--a hundred to one.
In prosperous counties with resident landlords and a good class of gentry
such as Carlow and Kildare, in one case the popular vote was 4800 against
750, and in the other 3169 against 467. In some fifty constituencies the
popular majorities ranged in round numbers from 6500 the highest, to 2400
the lowest. Besides these constituencies where a contest was so futile,
were those others in which no contest was even attempted.

In Ulster a remarkable thing happened. This favoured province had in the
last parliament returned nine liberals. Lord Hartington attended a banquet
at Belfast (Nov. 5) just before the election. It was as unlucky an affair
as the feast of Belshazzar. His mission was compared by Orang