ESTABLISHED 1866. The Marlborough Express. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. WEDNESDAY, MAY' 15, 1912. "THE HOME RULE QUESTION.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVI, Issue 117, 15 May 1912, Page 4

ESTABLISHED 1866. The Marlborough Express. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. WEDNESDAY, MAY' 15, 1912. "THE HOME RULE QUESTION.

—— ♦ —— • Once again an Irish Home Itulo Bill has passed the .House of Commons. The majority—lo1 —was aboutten more than wo had expected, jvni considering all the wild predict?.oils tliiit, -a, lai'iio proportion of Mr Lloyd George*; Nonconformist ■■■■ followers would desert him on this question—, for sectarian. reasons —must be ?on.sidered fairly-satisfactory. Mr.Boaar Law, the ."'n«\v Tory leader, had something to say >.&■ to the attitude ; of. Ulster;. but lio carefully -di: •.■egarded. the fact th'iit quite a numbtT^ '"of Ulster representatives are in

favor of Homo.llule* whilst Mr John Redmond made a good point when lib said that "underlying all. the arguments against the Bill there was the assumption that all the 'parti©? to the new treaty would be -animated by bad feeling and- malice instead *;f a desire to make the best of things.' Mr Redmond might have added that Irishmen of both creeds live togetherin peace and amity in the over.sei self-governing dominions, -and there is no 'reason to fear that-Protestant Dan will get on less peaceably with Catholic Mick when Ireland get.3 Home Rule than they■'do in Canada. in Australia, and in New Zealand. This point, however, was duly emphasised by Mr Ramsay MacdondJ. It is true that Sir."-Edward • Gai'Sua arid the Mayor of- Belfast' have both been indulging in chaa'acteristi'3"l)latherskite" about what "Loyal" Ulster will do; but neither of these gentlemen n«>d be -taken- very seriously. Ulster will lDa^•e to obey the la.w just .-us does; Middlesex or Yorkshire, and if it does-'not choose- to <lo so, it will have to bo made to do so. Wo can conceive- of no more disgraou--ful, no moi'R1--.utterly wicked procedure than fora. inari of Sir Edward 'Carson's, standing to "sool on" the ' Ulster bigots ;to' resurrect the d<?ad fires of .sectarian prejudices, hatred, ■and strife. !--:lWi '•'■ Mann was sent to prison the ptneHday for six months, and that very rightly, for endeavoring to stir up sedition in the British Army. Tlie same treatment should be meted out to Sir Edward Carson.

If we honestly believed for one moment Waf-^h-e' 'Roma.n Catholic majority :n Ireland!-•••would, undor Home Rule^ Hy'ru'iiiifse over the Protestants:, '■ we 'slioiiid oppose mosr bitterly any >mcl'- eve>.',y measure tao object ofvvhicli \VouM give Irelan-l national^ !jelf-g'overnifient. ■>. But we do not believe unyt-hing of the kiwd On the- contrary, we believe th.it undter Home Rule tho power for mischief r>f the.'-meddling political pries* will op just as much curtailed as it has b#en in Ifeljr, France', arid/Spain of late -yeaii-s-.j-j. The Roman Catholic ; priest who meddles • with'-purely' civ:l and 'secular matters is no greater nuisance in. Ireland than the bigoted Presbyterian' cleric of Belfast; fuid it iv an open, question whether the Protestant clerical bigot is not vastly mare concerned as to the probable diminution, of his personal power under Home Rule than he is. 'about *ny real or imaginary increase ;of 1 >:6. Roman Catholic ' brother's irifluenc4. /.Unde1,", Home vßulo" Ireland -will, ,\ve b'eiieve, in tiihe,' geb rid of a,)l "he b.laok-co-'ated. .gentry's., influence,: iij, ;civil-an.d' secuJar 'm'ti^teirsi.;;. Ju^t ,as ; .l n ;Ame';:ipc,. Qan^'da,. andi' fi lAjustr^Ki.sia, ■tho. pjprgymaii.;ls not 'liswmecl " t s : ,xvlip' Viittempts. to cajole' or-ifully,the i jpepp[%' into, ibis, that., or thc.ptiher.. ; politic : ril '0.amp.,.50. it will,bo in Ireland*;jan^,a.' very g^ood day "it] will be .forEriii^heri, htei: 'people-, vote'■ tlfey. think and'.Le-. 'lievo on. their, own >xieo,,iirit>, anc], ii t y\,: &t~ the dictaiipii or. Holder thevinnun onpe. of oitlufi' "PVotestan^,. parson, ; r> r. C'ttliolic pricf-it'.''./■ . :.. ; ~_,.-.•:. .',. We have' supported,. Home ,'Rulq f'/r. Ireland. for years • pest; : ' .and! altjtipuefa, thei'e.'are not. a few features, in -Mi1, Asquith's mef-snre that.. we,. do not; care for very aiivioh, we welcome, it as an honest i).|tempt to give. Irelnn/l that local.self-government to . whig ft . ■she is entitleci }; ji.nd of which.; at -tJie time of. the ..Union, she was deprived only by shameless . corruption .•■•,n;l open chicanery. So far from -dif>rnpting the Empire, ns the Oa-rsons ' a.nd Longs ;«iid Lord. Hugh Cecils pretend, it will give,, .Ireland a .good, soujk! dempcratib9 system . ot. governmein.We have a su^pioion thet it is pro-, cisely,. becMUs^ -tlte Tories know that. Home Rule will increi.se the power of the Irish democracy—the Irish people --that they dislike it so much. Alt tnis ■•- .j>retehdes r.iixiety about .tho "rights" of the Protf'stant minyritv is just so 'riiucli undiluted cant aa-1 hypocrisy. Tjiese English Tories ';.(>) not really care ;a. dump -whether ■''£■£<£■ land be Catholic or Protestant, <%r •Prptestaait , or. C;itholi:c. What thfts-.. •are frightened, of i> thei power of tLt> "Trish"democracy, wlio, when it comes, Lucder Home Rule, to .• deal with f].e rotten land ..system which .'has- : so -it, millions 0f... Irishmen exiles to America, Canada,-and Australia j..'wiil. ■: 'insist- upon £uch legislation to deal f with.'land mtjfnonoly as prpve ~, ;i [•very sign.al object-leesoii to ;he British democracy. I^he Bill has yx.t. :po go through Committee.. r ;lt will, j'in sll, probability, be greatly altei'o«l. Certainly, as. to the,• i.composition »>F the s; Senate,';,we hope it. j will l.c aitieredv . i!he Hotise, of Lords, may ■'thr;o'w otit th^; ; . Bill; Probably siioh •will, be the fi.vte pf; tlie thijt;d .HpTje , Rule .Bill. ..-Maybe., ..teo,:.tMyt, when. ;tfee question,,goes to.the, country. {}>-i ; Tories ■m»y j! be, reit-urrted v .-,aiid: Hpip.e Rule may yet «... third time, be rw tarded. . But sooner or lately, despite. j the fears Jind dislikes .of, ; the. l:jnd | monopolists-^T-Jmh • and Biitish-r— |" despite the loroaking cn.nt about. swc-. strife that is falling from-,tVie ■ mouth 6"f Sir Edward Carson,.lreland/, udli Eiiodeed in getting Home RuJe. And Avhen she doos she will, we ' lieve, prove herself well wortliy <-f enjoying the. fullest degree of self^ governjnent. .