RACY SPEECH OF SIR WILFRID. LAWSON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 8928, 17 December 1887, Page 2 (Supplement)

RACY SPEECH OF SIR WILFRID. LAWSON.

"FATTED CALF FOR ONE," •Sir Wilfrid Lawson's speech at the Edinburgh Liberal Demonstration lately was full of happy hits. He said: I am grateful to Edinburgh for three things. lam grateful to her for what she has done. lam grateful to her for what she is doing. lam grateful to her for what she is going to do. (Cheers.) I am grateful for what she did last year when she turned out Mr. Goschon. (Cheers.) I am grateful to her for this great demonstration in favour of Mr. Gladstone and his noble Irish policy. (Cheers.) lam grateful to her for what she is going to do next February —(ohecrs) —when she intends to return to the House of Commons by a ratling majority my friend Mr. Buchanan. (Cheers.) lam proud also to be here to support threo noblemen. Ido not often get along with noblemen. But they are something better than noblemen; thoy are noble men. (Cheers.) "SATAN REPROVING SIN."

Thy, you have in the chair Lord Rose-" bery — (cheers) — the best speaker in the Mouse of Lords—(cheers) — should almost say he beats the Duko of Argyll. (Laughter.) Then you have Lord Spencer. 1 shall not say® word about him, because you have heard him tonight, except that I believe he was the best Viceroy wo ever had under the old exploded system, and you have on the platform another nobleman, Lord Aberdeen. (Cheers.) You seem to approve of him, but I have got a sentence here culled from a speech of Lord Randolph Churchill. (Hooting and hissing.) He does not think much of Lord Aberdeen. (Laughter.) He alluded to him as a nobleman who exhibited " those rather melancholy and unfortunate eccentricities of behaviour—(laughter) — which undoubtedly astonished the public mind during his vice»royalty." Eccentricities of behaviour condemned by Lord Randolph Churchill ! (Laughter.) Never before in all my ex* perienco have I known such a striking instance of Satan reproving sim (Laughter.) "Well, let Lord .Randolph Churchill say what lie will, for my part I believe that the noble character, conduct, and career of Lord Aberdeen will be held in high rejnfce by the people Of the three kingdoms long witer the aristocratic, democratic, acrobatic (laughter) exploits of Lord Randolph Churchill have been consigned to permanent and merited oblivion. (Cheers,) I am confident that tho ever victorious army of Liberalism will soon settle this Irish question on the lines laid down by Mr. Gladstone.

"FATTED CALF FOR ONE."

At present our army is rather weakened by the desertion of a few very good soldiers, but we must not attack those men and revile . them. Let us hope they will come back when they, have seen the errors of their ways. We shall be ready to welcome them whenever they come. I heard the other day of a young fellow who fell into bad courses. He went away, and, like the prodigal son, wasted his substance in a far country. He was in New Zealand. He had very little money left, bnt he reformed, and ho wanted to telegraph home to say he was reformed, and he only had enough money to pay for four words in the telegram, and so he telegraphed home to his father. "Fatted calf for one." (Laughter.) Now, that gentleman whom you howled at a little while ago is going away to the North Pole or somewhere thereabout, and I think that when he gets there he will begin to meditate upon his evil courses. I should not wonder if from the North Pole there comes a telegram to tho Grand Old Man. signed "Joseph" — (laughter—saying, " Fatted calf for one." (Laughter and cheers.) lam sure that Mr. Gladstone will run and fall upon his neck, and if he brings anyone with him all the better. There is room enough in the Liberal fold for Joseph, for Jesse—(laughter)—for the cow, and for any number of Marquises Who may accompany them. (Cheers.) "throw them OCT."

We are preparing for the next election. We are hoping for a majority for Mr. Gladstone, Lords Aberdeen, Rosebsry, and Spencer. What is the use of it &U. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Lord Randolph Churchill.said" I do not think we need hare the smallest doubt, resonable doubt, making reasonable calculations, but the House of Lords will throw out the Home Rule BilL" What is to be done ? (A voice" Throw them out.") Yes. (Great laughter.) Throw them out, (Renewed laughter.) But Lord Randolph predicts what is to happen the next four years. I said he was a prophet. He said all this will go on. Then he also said—l admit his candour—"lt may possibly end in the abolition of the House of Lordii." What is the use of abolishing the House of Lords after they have done the mischief ? Why not abolish them before they do it ? (Cheers.)