these, there are Tories also, the descendants of the stout defenders
of Church and State and the divine right of kings.

Now, I don't mean to say but that at the back of this ancient name of
Tory there lies a great mass of genuine Conservative feeling, held by
people who, if they had their own way, would play some rather
fantastic tricks, I fancy; nay, even might in the course of time be
somewhat rough with such people as are in this hall at present. {3}
But this feeling, after all, is only a sentiment now; all practical
hope has died out of it, and these worthy people CANNOT have their
own way. It is true that they elect members of Parliament, who talk
very big to please them, and sometimes even they manage to get a
Government into power that nominally represents their sentiment, but
when that happens the said Government is forced, even when its party
has a majority in the House of Commons, to take a much lower
standpoint than the high Tory ideal; the utmost that the real Tory
party can do, even when backed by the Primrose League and its sham
hierarchy, is to delude the electors to return Tories to Parliament
to pass measures more akin to Radicalism than the Whigs durst
attempt, so that, though there are Tories, there is no Tory party in
England.

On the other hand, there is a party, which I can call for the present
by no other name than Whig, which is both numerous and very powerful,
and which does, in fact, govern England, and to my mind will always
do so as long as the present constitutional Parliament lasts. Of
course, like all parties it includes men of various shades of
opinion, from the Tory-tinted Whiggery of Lord Salisbury to the
Radical-tinted Whiggery of Mr. Chamberlain's present tail. Neither
do I mean to say that they are conscious of being a united party; on