THE VETO BILL AND HOME RULE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1111, 26 April 1911, Page 7

THE VETO BILL AND HOME RULE.

AN AMENDMENT REJECTED. ULSTER'S ATTITUDE. SPEECH BY MR, ASQUITH. By TeleKraph-Prrjs3 Association-Oopyrieht (Rcc. April 25, 9.30 p.m.) London, April 25. In tho House of Commons the debate on Clause 2 of the Veto Bill was continued to-day. Mr. Lonsdale (Unionist) moved an amendment to exclude Home Rule from the operation of the Bill. The amendment was negatived, the Voting being— Against tho amendment 284 For the amendment .. 190 Majority against 94 Sir Clifford Cory (Liberal) voted against the Government, and Captain Waring with the Government. Several Liberals abstained from voting. Mr. Lonsdale argued that in view of the fact that not forty per cent, of the Ministerialists referred to Homo Rule at the last elections, if Home Rule were passed over the heads of the House of Lords the people of Ulster would not acknowledge the authority of an Irish Parliament nor pay taxes.

Mr. Ramsay Mac Donald (Labour) declared that the great mass of the electors when asked gave the House of Commons more authority, and so put the House and tho Sovereign in a position to realise Home Rule. Other first-class measures would follow inevitably. This explained tho willingness of the Irish in America to unite with other sections in favour of the TaftGrey arbitration treaty.

Mr. Asquith said Clause 2 offered the most serious obstacles to ill-considered measures. Any Home Rule Bill must be discussed in three sessions, extending over two years. Anything passing that ordeal must represent the country's will and judgment. He quoted his own and also Unionist declarations to prove that he made it clear that the majority in favour of the present Bill would be used to carry Home Rule.

Mr. Balfour declared that Ministers at the general election laid the whole emphasis-on the House of Lords' issuo arid threw Home Rule into the background. SPEECH BY MR. BALFOUR. "THE GREATEST OF ALL ISSUES." (Rcc. April 26, 1.16 a.m.) London, April 25. Speaking on the Veto Bill, Mr. Balfour said Home Rule, the greatest of all issues, had been disguised, and the. power thus surreptitiously obtained Ministers'now intended to use to overrido the people's opinion on the Home Rule issue. Ministers did not dare to submit Home Rule to the test of a general election. CLAUSE 2. '•■ ;' Clause 2 provides that if any Bill other than a Jloncy Bill is passed by the House of Commons in three successive sessions (whether of the same Parliament or not), and, having been sent up to the House of Lords at least one month before the end of the session, is rejected by tho House of Lords in each of those sessions, that Bill shall, on its rejection for the third time by tho House-of Lords, unless the House of Commons direct to the contrary, bo presented to his Majesty and become an Act of Parliament ■on the Royal Assent being signified thereto, notwithstanding that the House of Lords has not consented to tho Bill: Provided that this provision ' shall not take effect unless two years have elapsed between the date of tho first introduction of the Bill in tho House of Commons and the date on which it passes the House of Commons for the third time.