Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 1907. THE IRISH SECRETARY. SHIP. MR BRYCE AND THE CABINET.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 19 January 1907, Page 2

Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 1907. THE IRISH SECRETARY. SHIP. MR BRYCE AND THE CABINET.

WHEN the Irish Home Rule envoy Wno is about to visit Nelson delivers an address he may bo able to throw some light on tho intentions of the Imperial Government with, regard to granting a measure y>i autonomy to- IVelanS, ft^fl on the reasons that haw 16$ TO the Rt. Hob. James Brycjj abandoning the Chief Sae&tafcySiup for tfie ,post of BrtUftK AYnbassadp'r aY Waj*u«fo*. But, though spWulatoo* &"**> «■ ls doubtful VI AiiyoVi^ WiMdo Sir Henry CampbeH-fcMneYYnan's Cabinet has a very Clear idea of the extent to which the Government will go towards meeting the demands of the Home Rulers, [t may be mere lobby .gossip, and assumption ; but the appointment of M* Bryce to a diplomatic position, enabling him k> withdraw from the Ministry . without undne dislocation .and. esclan- ; dre, is thought to We a . Bcatfitft 6ft the GoVerntnenlls IWsft policy, and to suggest eoWiSS QRi&nsion " in the Cabinet. :■ BXft it must not be overlooked that Ihere are also obvious reasons why Me Bryco should be sent to America. He is certain to "he cordially welcomed by Americans, ho has been a close and sympathetic stutleljt of their institutions for VC&IS. H« "American Commonwealth ' .is a rocbg:.. nised text-book on both Mdes oj ■._ tUe Atlßntic, and his sekcHoft |S British Ambassador must W l^'garaVd ih.Vie United States tts ii tifttfhct ,cdij\phmentv live very circumstance that no is not 4. member of the .regular io^ls diplomatique probably w\U be a recommendation in AYhencan eyes, whilo it wiYl go fat tbwards conciliating tho Ir'isVATnerican element. On the other land, while Mr Bryce may be expected to continue the development of the cordial relations fostered by Lord Vauncefote and Sb Michael Herbert, it is most unusual for a Cabinet Minister to resign whilo his pet Bglicjr ft pending merely to take U» a flifAomatic post, no matter, how jwll he may be fitted for it. M« Bvyce's action; may be explained either by the fact .that he is in disagreement from. MS colleagues or that he feels tho weight of his 68 years, a handicap against the performance of the exacting duties of the Irish Chief Secretaryship. * • • • • . -" With regard to Mr Bryce's Connection with the Irish Hom&.Rnje. movement, he has always aflvoc^ted ,_ . tlw largest possible Ebticss^qii the, British Parliament would make towards granting autonomy. V 6 Ireland. If tho recentVy enacted meaimre of self-govern-m'ehi had satisfied Mr Bryce any more than it has satisfied the extremists of tho Irish party and press, nntl i*. , >*■ ronlisea his hopes to &Wv appreciable extent, it is difficult to understaM w»jf he should have aßanVlofi.e'd charge of tho scheme,, even t&¥ Work so conger: '. as that which awaits him at Washington. In all tho circumstances, it may be years before the true reason for Mr Bryce!s resignation from the Cabinet transpires. But the probabilities point at present to tho triumph of the moderate party in the Ministry. Mr Bjfyce Was a "whole hog" Home Rulel'.. He gives up the Irish Setretaryship jus.t.whpn Irish -legislation is being drafted by the Cabinet. The most reasonable Conclusion to arrive aj is tUat the. legislation is not to Be Such as he would advocate with enthusiasm. If it be true, as stated in a recent cable message, that he wanted to hand ovr the Royal Irish Constabulary, among other thj»gß, , to local control, no one can B 8 EjiVOTi&'e'd at him falling out with. Lioeral-Imper-ialists like S*,r BdWird Grey, Mr Asqiiith, and Mr Haldane. With the constabulary, the enforcement of law and order would necossarly pass almqst wholly into Nationaliit hands, and no change so drastic was contemplated in nny of the "devolution" . schemes discussed by. Lord Dunraven and Sir Antony Macdonnell. ♦ B * » » The position of the 1 BaHnerfflan .. Government with regard to . Irish Hom'e_ Rule is peculiar, fvhd Ministers cannot" afford to gD top far in viejiv of those other controversial issuer. still pending — the English Eduqalibri Bill and autonomy for the ne\V Sotitn African colonies. It has been recognised throughout that a Liberal Government would propose somo form of "devolution," i.e., of increased local management of Irish affairs. But the people at the last elections which placed the Liberals in power after being in Opposition for nearly a generation, gave no mandate to grant anything even remotely approximating to or paving the way for Irirh Home Rule. On the contrary, the majority of the supporters of the party, including some of the most prominent members of the Cabinet, distinctly declared that Home Rule was not to be a living issue in this Parliament. It was on that understanding that many freetraders voted Liberal, and there is nothing to show that the majority of tho electors have changed their minds on the general question of preserving the union inviolate. Sir Edw?^l Grey, one of tho men who has contnouted most to create confidence in the Imperial policy of the Ministry, could not, after his emphatic pronouncements on the inexpediency of bringing up Home Rule, remain in the Government if it embarked upon a policy of even disguised Irish Nationalism. Moreover, the House of Lords would be certain to reject any Home Rule Bill, since the country has not .expressed or been asked to express an opinion on the question. Indications point to a modorate policy of local government expansion in Ireland, and more than that tor the present the Irish people have no right to expect. The visit of the Home Rule envoys to this colony, therefore, interesting as it may be from a purely academic standpoint, should 'not pledge any but extremist* to an expression of more than abstract opinion, for the colonies, far less than the Mother Country, know iittle of the developments pending. Moreover, in tlie matter of funds for the support of the liish party, some important lawsuits are about to be heard in Great Britain, raising issues with regard to the just application of the revenues deriver} by the party larcely from Australasian sources. The Mid-Cork dispute and the revelations made by. Mr D. D. Sheehan, who resigned and sought re-el-ection principally to exposeijan alleged attempt to deprive him of his share of the Irish Party fund because he differed in certain matters from ' the leaders of the party, require explanato those who are asked to contribute still further to the funds. Doubtless this matter, essentially- of colonial interest, is being explained by the Irish envoys at their meetings, and hence Mr Donovan's address when he speaks at Nelson may supplement the statements being made by his colleague, Mr Devlin, elsewhere. Bilf the larger and more important issue is that the Imperial Parliament is not yet ready to grant "a full measure of Home Rule*for Ireland, that the majority of the British people have given no mandate for such grant, that a modicum of self-go-vernment is; already under consideration, and that the colonies are not justified in embarrassing the Imperial Government by forcing on them as a colonial view the opinions of only a section of the people.