(published daily.) TUESDAY, MAY 18, 1886. HOME RULE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume VII, Issue 1310, 18 May 1886, Page 2

(published daily.) TUESDAY, MAY 18, 1886. HOME RULE.

Geeai^s is the interest taken in the colonies on the subject, of Home Eule for Ireland,, it, is on.ly by reading the English papers that one can form an idea of the excitement which the question is raising in England, and, indeed, in all Europe. Opinions are divided. in such, ai manner, and such enormous obstacles in the" way of bringing the scheme into execution are pointed out bymeft well -qualified to speak, that it is difficult to make anj forecast; of what 1 tbe result will be. It is certain, however, that the hopes of the Rational party in Ireland have been raised to such a pitch that it would b& courting revolution . to now deny them some measure of?reform, jit is equally certain that to grant at this present moment . the Home , Rule which Mr. Gladstone proposes migftb cause civil war in Ireland itself. Rightly or wrongly, the whpJlfc of the. Protestant lrish fear that they would ;jbo. subject W great

oppression, whilst landed proprietors regard such a measure as only tbe precursor of a wholesale confiscation. That there exists in England intense opposition to the, proposal must be evident by the rumor cabled out a few days ago that Lord Wolseley and Lord Chas. Beresford have threatened to throw up their commissions and lead' the men of Ulster in an inter1 necine war if the measure is carried. .These two. men, probably the most widely-known members of the army and navy respectively, have been all their lives trained to habits of obedience and discipline, and belong to services which not only trouble themselves little politics, but profess a positive contempt for them. It is clear that so far as Lord Wolseley is concerned there is every probability of the rumor beiug true, for on April 10 he made a speech in which he said that " the English Empire had been built and preserved through the valor and endurance of its soldiers and sailors, directed by able statesmen. Hitherto it had been their lotto defend their country against foreign foes ; but now they were called upon by the people of England to do their duty in trampling under foot enemies more serious, because the enemies were within the civil boundaries of the Empire. He called upon the English to say " Stand off " to anyone, whoever he might be, who should dare to try to break up or dismember the Empire, thereby ruthlessly destroying it." The speech was received with deafening applause ; and plainly forebodes trouble of the most serious description. Looking at the matter coolly as we put here are able to do, Lord Wolseley would appear to have committed a most grave error, aud one which will cost him the confidence of his Queen and country. But that he should have used such language is indicative of the deepest feeling. Looking al the matter dispassionately, we think tbat the national party will act wisely — on the principle of half a loaf being better than no bread— in accepting any reasonable measure of local selfgovernment first, and by prudent exercise of the powers entrusted to them, proving themselves worthy of the greater privilege which they claim. By such a course their battle would be more than half won, and they may ultimately gain, with but little opposition, that which we believe that nothing but the military power of England exercised on their behalf could now secure for them.