HOME RULE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 161, 1 April 1908, Page 7

HOME RULE.

NATIONALISTS CARRY A RESOLUTION. SCENE IN THE HOUSE. ' AN IRISH MEMBER "NAMED." ATTITUDE . OP THE ACTING-PREMIER. BV TELEGRAM—IT.ESS ASSOCIATION —COPYRIGHT. (Rec. March 31, 10.62 p.m.) London, March 31. In the House of Commons, Mr. John Redmond, Leader of the Nationalists, moved the following resolution. •"That the system of government in Ireland 'is inefficient, extravagantly costly, and productive of universal discontent and unrest, and ' ' that the only, solution is to give the ' Irish legislative and executive con- . trol of all 'purely Irish affairs.": \ ■ , Mr. Redmond claimed that the resolution .was necessary in order to free Liborals at the next general election from the unfortunate pledges which debarred a party of coi> viuced Home Rulers from giving effect to' their convictions. Ireland was not content with house scheme. Ho eloquently ; pleaded the right of the Irish to deveion the resources of the country, and to-have power to heal wounds inflicted through class hatred and religious dissension. ■ . ■ •' Eqrl Perov. who was Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs m the last Unionist Government;, moved an amendment, declaring '■ '' " That if the Imperial Parliament , abandoned its undivided responsibility, it would injur'o the prosperity ; of Ireland, and would imperil the , security of Britain j, therpforo the > f Houso is unalterably opposed to, the 1 creation of an Irish Parliament with > ; a responsible dxccutivo." j • , . Earl Percy declared that Home Rule was a losing cause/'not merely .because its advocates'were:: becoming faint-hearted, but because tho new ideal of. closer, union of all parts of the Empire Was firing the enthusiasm of the British people.;' .There was no doubt which would win, now that success in war and commerce deponded on concentration and union;

The Secretary for Ireland, Mr. Birrell, said that Ireland could not wait indefinitely for urgent reforms. Unless thoro was to be something' liko hell in Ireland—-not' iiyurder ,and crime, but profound .discontent, misery, and 1 dislocation of society—something must bo done. He .believed that' the affairs' of Ireland required a Parliament's exclusive attention. , \ ' : 1 -, Mr. S. 11. Butcher (Unionist), on behalf of the Protestant: minority in Ireland, declared that Home Rulo would be not simply a .political' experiment, but. a, desperate gamble, with Imperial interests at. stake. , '.'.'Mr.,''G'.!..S. Clark - (Unionist "Member: for - Belfast ' North)' paused, a scene by " applying the 1 epithets ignorant" and " lazy "to the-peasantry of the West of Ireland.. Mr. John O'Connor (Nationalist- Member for Kilclaro Norths, challenged Mr. Clark to repeat the words/ outside, and called him a coward and a cad. • The VDeputy-Speaker. named " - Mr. O'Connor when he refused to withdraw. Mr. . O'Connor, amid, the: cheers df: the Irish, left tho House. ' _ Mr. Bajfour,Leader.. of 'the Opposition, ■denial. that iliete; was .anjr.l analbgy. hetweoii Ireland and the. .self-governing. colonies:'' He reminded -the House that the political process between countries- in modern times was - on 0: of integration, not disintegration. . The' Acting .Prime Minister;' Mr. Asquitli, affirmed that he strongly favoured self-gov-ernment in Ireland with regard to purely loopl 'affairs. Ho was unabje to yoto for tho motion because it contained no explicit, recbgnitionof the continued paramount Supremacy' of tlie. imperial Parliament. Besides, the Liberal party would not proceed 'with Home Rule. in .the lifetime of tho present Parliament. 1 •Ho,:;intended- to vote.; against the >,; 'amendment, 1: because .'it .'was"a'' barren negation;:': j:-; ' '<; Mr. T. i M.. Hpaiy,- Nationalist member for. North. Louth, violently attacked. Mr. Asquith. ■ ■' - : . Earl Percy's amondment was rejected by '834 votes to i 42. '; Mr* Redmond's resolution, was carried. by ■ 315-votes to 157,: after the addition-of a .proviso that tho Home Rule. Parliament must be subject to the supreme authority of the Imperial Parliament. . ; The proviso was added on the motion of Mr. J. A. Simon,- Liberal member for division:of Essex. .. . .

MR. ASQUITHIS PLEDGES. ' Mr. Ascjuith's Irish pledges liave been somewhat extensively dug up from time to time by' the party' Press- During ,-the' election at Sheffield on January 4, 190G ; he' is reported to have said; "An attempt to utilise a majority which was soiight and obtained for Free Trade in tfrder to promote tho. possiiig of what vros called a Home Rule Bill would be a, piece of political .dishonesty." '' • -Unionist' papers not so,-long, ago took-' the trouble to recall the' following.'statements reported to have been made by, Mr: Asquith at East Fife on October 16, 1(105: "If by' Home Rule> is' meant'. . . the establishment of a Legislature in Dublin . : . it will not and cannot be part of the'-policy' of the next' Liberal Government. Neither I nor any other leader of the | Liberal ■ party ... has' ever gone baek in spirit or in letter on Mr. Gladstone's policy." .- . > ■ Mr. ABquitli, m a speech-,m the .House of Commons last year, stqod,' by his. guns. He is feported, by: the':pr£Ss; promised that " if, when the ; scheme of the Government is produced, it contains any. provision, either in letter or in spirit,, whteh is .inconsistent with,: or .in i violation of, any pledge, assurance, or declaration I have ever given, either before or during the-election, I will at. onco resign my ,post iq. . His Majesty's, Government." - V., ~ > When the scheme'- (the Irish ' Councils Bill) was produced in the House of Commons' last: session, the. 'Nationalists refused to accept it, and the opinion was expressed that this was the deathrknell. of Devolution. Mr. Birrell, tho father of the , Bill,i predicted that the Nationalists would on? day regrot' their attitude.- On the other,: hand, it will be noted that Mr. : Redmond, in. his speech, repudiates any "half-way house scheme" In a speech a few days, ago,, Mr. Birrell expressed his -personal hope that Irishmen would soon obtain Homo Rule, addingjithat the only solution would be a very liberal: measure of Home Rule.