HOME RULE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1279, 7 November 1911, Page 5

HOME RULE.

o MR. REDMOND'S DEMANDS. By Telecrxiph—Pross Association—Oopy. i-sht London, November 5. Mr. Lewis Ilarcoiirt, Secretary of State fur tho Colonies, presided at a Homo Rulo demonstration at Kawtonstall, Lancashire, addressed by Mr. John E. Redmond, Lender of tho Nationalist Parliamentary Party. 'Mr. liedmoiid said that Ireland only asked for a subordinate Parliament; she was willing that tho Imperial Parliament should remain unimpaired, in order to curb any attempt by the Irish to abuse their powers. Irishmen, ho added, would prefer to remain in the Imperial Parliament in numbers to bo decided .on by Bngland's own wisdom. THE NEW HOME RULE BILL. mi:, asquith's definition. An.important' speech on Home Rule was made by Mr. Asquith in tho course cf a debate in ths House of Commons at tho beginning of the year. The Prime Ministor stated his definition of Homo Rulo in these terms:— "The creatine in Ireland of an Irish Parliament, with an Irish Executive responsible to that Parliament to deal with purely Irish affairs, subject always to tho indefeasible supremacy of the Imperial Parliament." "No one who has sat in this House," 6aid My. Asquith, "can fail to feel what I feel, having sat hero for twenty-five years, with increasing energy of conviction every year that wc are totally incapable of giving either tho time or the knowledge to tho investigation and administration of these matters, which may sreni potty to lis but which to Irishmen living on the spot are of vital importance. , , , T -i "I hear the word 'Scotland, I qmto agree. I have been a Scotch member ever since I have'been in the House, and j Scotland suffers also from this congestion of business from-this limitation of time and of human power in si Parliament which represents thmi kingdoms as well as Wales. Wales is a very conspicuous illustration of the incapacity demonstrated by experience of this Parliament—a gigantii) House — charged with tho whole affairs of tho Empire to give tho requisite time, attention, and knowledge to local affairs of the constituent parts of tho United Kingdom. "I have always said, and I repeat it now, that tho case of Ireland is ono paramount in urgency and importance, and I believe that tho policy which I presented to tho country in behalf of my frionds and supporters at the last general election is the only one by which we can arrive at a satisfactory solution of this standing problem." > The Premier concluded by Baying: "Wo Icok forward to seo French and English, Boer and Briton, Celt and Saxon, each bringing his own tributary, mingling their confident waters in the stream of Imperial unity—ono Throne, one Empire, ono People, diverso in origin and in raw, but all alike charged and endowed in the fullest measure with the liberty ■ and responsibility of selfgovernment in their own local affairs. "That surely is tho goal of a really true Imperialist, and it is to that goal that our steps aro set." Mr. fledmond, tho Irish leader, accepted without qualification the Prime Minister's definition of Homo Rule. He said that what his party meant by Home Rule was an Irish Parliament, with an Executive responsible to it. Tho policy declared by .Mr. Asquitli was, he believed, a policy that would bo a final settlement, Having laid stress 011 the argument that Great Britain alone had returned a majority of 60 for Homo Rule, ■ho repudiated tho chargo that lie. was a separatist; he was n Home Ruler because he desired to see peace and amity between tho two nations. His party admitted Imperial supremacy and invited the House ,to make it effective. As to intoloranco, ho asserted with emphasis that no man who knew history could bring a chargo of intolerant -against tho .masß of tho Irish pvople, and he would not accept <a solution of the problem which they liad to solve if under it oppression or injustice could bo perpetrated. But oppression of Protestants was just ono of those things which the supremacy of Parliament could prevent. ===== • I