46 Irish Land Bill [ l 9<>2> 



" I told him how at a critical moment I had written to Redmond, and 

 he highly approved. Everything had worked out most fortunately till 

 Parliament met in the Spring. Then the financial difficulties had begun. 

 I asked him who had suggested the finance of his scheme, and he assured 

 me he had done the whole thing entirely himself, which is also what 

 his mother told me on Sunday when she described to me how he had 

 always had a mathematical head at school and how at an examination he 

 had drawn without a mistake the whole of the figures of the second 

 ' Book of Euclid ' from memory. Since the meeting of Parliament, 

 however, he had been in most tempestuous waters. Brodrick's Army 

 Bill had frightened everybody by its extravagance, and when the Funds 

 fell to 90 he had thought all was lost. Only Ritchie encouraged him 

 then, and he quoted a word of Ritchie's that had been repeated to him. 

 Ritchie had said, ' Brodrick asks for millions, but he can't explain 

 what he wants them for. But Wyndham explained everything and 

 convinced one — or (correcting himself after a pause) the contrary.' 

 But for Ritchie, the whole thing would have had to be abandoned as 

 involving the Government in ruin. Then came the loss of the two by- 

 elections, Woolwich and Rye, and the Cabinet meeting on Chamberlain's 

 return (from South Africa). What I gather from George is that the 

 Liberal Unionists opposed the Bill. The Duke of Devonshire, Lords 

 Lansdowne and Londonderry, and probably also Brodrick and Lord 

 George Hamilton, all these being Irish absentee landlords or represent- 

 ing them. 



" I asked him about Chamberlain, but he was reticent. ' I will tell 

 you now,' he said, ' exactly what the present situation is. When I got up 

 in the House of Commons last week, I felt that I had my back against 

 a wall and was fighting for my life; and, as often happens in such cir- 

 cumstances, I was able to do my very best. The question was so com- 

 plicated a one that I knew I could not hope to make it clear to 

 everybody, but I knew that on each section of it there was a group that 

 would understand on one side or other of the House. So I turned to 

 each in turn and got into a condition of magnetic touch with each, 

 so that they leaned forward towards me and I could see that they 

 understood. So much was this the case that, as I approached the City 

 financial part of my argument, I felt, though I could not see, that there 

 was somebody behind me in close sympathy, and I turned round and 

 asked " Am I right ? " " Quite right," was the answer. It was from 

 Edgar Vincent. Thus I was able to get through the whole speech 

 without wearying my audience, and at the end had succeeded in gaining 

 the sympathy in turn of every section. This for the moment. Since 

 the first reading, however, and the publication of the Bill, one of the 

 most representative members of the old Tory phalanx has been to 

 Arthur Balfour and has represented to him that much of the Bill is 



