Now, last night I said that I did not regard this

A matter question as a political question. It is an economic

alTpar^ question. It is a business question. It is a national

■' ' question. It affects every man, woman, and child in the

country. It ought not to be a party question. And for my own part

I hope there are many Liberals present here to-night ; I hope that,

however much they may differ now, however much they may continue

to differ from me upon other purely party and political questions, that

won't prevent them in the least from giving me a fair hearing on a

matter which, as I have said, is above all party and above all persons.
_ . . . I dealt last night more especially with one great

preference the branch of the question of fiscal reform — that is, the

most urgent question of preference with our colonies, and I did that

question. because to me it is of all the branches of this question

one which mdst-deeply moves me to exertion, and^in the second place,

because it is the most urgent part of the question. We have been



46

going on for a great number of years, much too long, with our existing
polioy, and so for as foreign countries are concerned we might go on a
little longer. A great part of the mischief has been done, and I dont
know th;u we should suffer greatly if we waited a little lo»^ger. But
that is not possible with regard to the colonies. The colonies^ ha\'e
giv^u you an opportunity with whicli we cannot play.i^st and loose.
