Do you suppose that every
member of the Liberal party loves Mr. Asquith, and is delighted when he
displays his great talents? Do you think that none of the gentlemen
below the gangway do not believe that in their mute and inglorious
breasts, there are no streams of eloquence more copious and resistless?
No, my friend, take this as an axiom of political careers, that you hold
your life as long as you are able to kill anybody who tries to kill you,
and not one hour longer.
[Sidenote: Powerful malcontents.]
It will be seen at once that a party of malcontents is especially
powerful in a Parliament which has in hand the greatest task of our
time, and which on the other side has a majority which revolt of even a
small number can at any moment turn into a dishonoured and impotent
minority. Such being the material, a nice little plot was concocted by
which a certain number of young members, full of all that vague distrust
of existing ministries which belongs to ardent young Radicalism, were
to be induced to give a vote against Mr. Gladstone's proposal to take
away the time of private members. And it is reported that one member of
the Liberal party had begun operations as many as four weeks before Mr.
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