I am ready to assume that the wit of man can devise a settlement of many points which seemed insoluble in Mr.Gladstone's day.

But even granting all this, I think it can easily be shown that the means which the political thought available on the Nationalist side has evolved for the attainment of their end, and which _ex hypothesi_ are only to be justified on tactical grounds, are the least likely to succeed; and that, consequently, they should be abandoned in favour of a constructive policy which, to say the least, would not be less effective towards advancing the Home Rule cause, if that cause be sound, and which would at the same time help the advancement of Ireland in other than political directions.
Tactics form but a part of generalship, and half the success of generalship lies in making a correct estimate of the opposing forces.
This is as true of political as it is of military operations.

Now, of what do the forces opposed to Home Rule consist?
The Unionists, it may be admitted, are numerically but a small minority of the population of Ireland--probably not more than one-fourth.

But what do they represent?
First, there are the landed gentry.

Let us again make a concession for the sake of argument and accept the view that this class so wantonly kept itself aloof from the life of the majority of the people that the Nationalists could not be expected to count them among the elements of a Home Rule Ireland.