Goschen. Not a bit of it. Taking cleverly the rather auroral
promises of the election period, Mr. Goschen contrasted all these hopes
and glowing prospects with the thin and meagre fare of Sir William's
Budget. It was very well done--full of unwonted fire, of biting and
effective raillery and of excellent party hits; it lit up for a brief
space the sombreness which has fallen so completely on the Tory Benches
in this year of wails and lamentations.
[Sidenote: Sir William as an early Christian.]
But the debate soon relapsed under a soporific speech from Sir John
Lubbock, who made an insinuating proposal to open a discussion on Home
Rule in the midst of the debate on the Imperial Budget. Sir William was
a delight during these proceedings. Everybody knows that he has both a
warm heart and a warm temper, and there have been times when the
collisions between himself and Mr. Goschen have seemed to indicate a
violence of personal as well as of party antagonism. But the duty of
great ministers is to practise the scriptural principle of turning the
other cheek to the smiter. It is wonderful, indeed, to see how humanity
can attune itself to a situation.
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