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bitterest old Tory left alive. What has he to offer to the people? Franklyn Cutting in before Burge can proceed⁠—as he evidently intends⁠—to answer his own question. I will tell you. He has ascertainable beliefs and principles to offer. The people know where they are with Lord Dunreen. They know what he thinks right and what he thinks wrong. With your followers they never know where they are. With you they never know where they are. Burge Amazed. With me! Franklyn Well, where are you? What are you? Burge Barnabas: you must be mad. You ask me what I am? Franklyn I do. Burge I am, if I mistake not, Joyce Burge, pretty well known throughout Europe, and indeed throughout the world, as the man who⁠—unworthily perhaps, but not quite unsuccessfully⁠—held the helm when the ship of State weathered the mightiest hurricane that has ever burst with earthshaking violence on the land of our fathers. Franklyn I know that. I know who you are. And the earthshaking part of it to me is that though you were placed in that enormously responsible position, neither I nor anyone else knows what your beliefs are, or even whether you have either beliefs or principles. What we did know was that your Government was formed largely of men who regarded you as a robber of henroosts, and whom you regarded as enemies of the people. Burge Adroitly, as he thinks. I agree with you. I agree with you absolutely. I don’t believe in coalition governments. Franklyn Precisely. Yet you formed two. Burge Why? Because we were at war. That is what you fellows never would realize. The Hun was at the gate. Our country, our lives, the honor of our wives and mothers and daughters, the tender flesh of our innocent babes, were at stake. Was that a time to argue about principles? Franklyn I should say it was the time of all others to confirm the resolution of our own men and gain the confidence and support of public opinion throughout the world by a declaration of principle. Do you think the Hun would ever have come to the gate if he had known that it would be shut in his face on principle? Did he not hold his own against you until America boldly affirmed the democratic principle and came to our rescue? Why did you let America snatch that honor from England? Burge Barnabas: America was carried away by words, and had to eat them at the Peace Conference. Beware of eloquence: it is the bane of popular speakers like you. Exclaiming all together. Franklyn Well!! Savvy I like that! Haslam Priceless! Burge Continuing remorselessly. Come down to facts. It wasn’t principle that won the war: it was the British fleet and the blockade. America found the talk: I found the shells. You cannot win wars by principles; but you can win elections by them. There I am with you. You want the next election to be fought on principles: that is what it comes to, doesn’t it? Franklyn I don’t want it to be fought at all! An election is a moral horror, as bad as a battle except for the blood: a mud bath for every soul concerned in it. You know very well that it will not be fought on principle. Burge On the contrary it will be fought on nothing else. I believe a program is a mistake. I agree with you that principle is what we want. Franklyn Principle without program, eh? Burge Exactly. There it is in three words. Franklyn Why not in one word? Platitudes. That is what principle without program means. Burge Puzzled but patient, trying to get at Franklyn’s drift in order to ascertain his price. I have not made myself clear. Listen. I am agreeing with you. I am on your side. I am accepting your proposal. There isn’t going to be any more coalition. This time there won’t be a Tory in the Cabinet. Every candidate will have to pledge himself to Free Trade, slightly modified by consideration for our Overseas Dominions; to Disestablishment; to Reform of the House of Lords; to a revised scheme of Taxation of Land Values; and to doing something or other to keep the Irish quiet. Does that satisfy you? Franklyn It does not even interest me. Suppose your friends do commit themselves to all this! What does it prove about them except that they are hopelessly out of date even in party politics? that they have learnt nothing and forgotten nothing since 1885? What is it to me that they hate the Church and hate the landed gentry; that they are jealous of the nobility, and have shipping shares instead of manufacturing businesses in the Midlands? I can find you hundreds of the most sordid rascals, or the most densely stupid reactionaries, with all these qualifications. Burge Personal abuse proves nothing. Do you suppose the Tories are all angels because they are all members of the Church of England? Franklyn No; but they stand together as members of the Church of England, whereas your people, in attacking the Church, are all over the shop. The supporters of the Church are of one mind about religion: its enemies are of a dozen minds. The Churchmen are a phalanx: your people are a mob in which atheists are jostled by Plymouth Brethren, and Positivists by Pillars of Fire. You have with you all the crudest unbelievers and all the crudest fanatics. Burge We stand, as Cromwell did, for liberty of conscience, if that is what you mean. Franklyn How can you talk such rubbish over the graves of your conscientious objectors? All law limits liberty of conscience: if a man’s conscience allows him to steal your watch or to shirk military service, how much liberty do you allow it? Liberty of conscience is not my point. Burge Testily. I wish you would come to your point. Half the time you are saying that you must have principles; and when I offer you principles you say they won’t work. Franklyn You have not