PROSPECTS OF HOME RULE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2083, 25 January 1894, Page 14

PROSPECTS OF HOME RULE.

INTERVIEW WITH MR W. REDMOND, M.P,

" What are the prospects of Home Rule in view of the action of the Houeo of Lords ? " a Sydney Daily Telegraph reporter asked Mr W. Redmond, M.P., who is at present in Sydney.

" The Home Rule cause," Mr Redmond answered, " has not been injured, but rather strengthened by the conduct of the Lords in rejecting Mr Gladstone's bill. The supporters of the Irish cause in Great Britain are, of course, the Liberal and extreme Radical section of the people. They have always regarded the House of Lords in its present position as inconsistent with true Liberal government, and consequently the hostility of the Lords to Homo Rule has only intensified the determination of all true Liberals. Besides, apart from the Irish question, there is a strong and growing feeling amongst Englishmen that the time has arrived when a purely horeditary chambsr should no longer be allowed to override the deliberate vota and decision of the people's representatives iv tho House of Commons. There can be no doubt that in a short while the Upper Chamber in England will have to bo placed on a more representative basis. The idea of allowing a man, simply because his father happened to be a lord, to have a seat in Parliament and the power of upsetting the work of elected members is altogether too absurd for the nineteenth century. I don't think you would stand that sort of thing in Australia, and the British democracy won't stand it much longer."

"Were tho Irish people satisfied with Mr Gladstone's bill?"— "We accepted Mr Gladstone's bill this year mainly because of the principle of self-governnieut which was embodied in it. In many points tho bill was not satisfactory, withholding, as ib did, from tho Irish Parliament tho control of the police, thu judiciary, the taxes, and tho laud question for a certain number of years. Without the control of these things the Irish Parliament would not bo worth very much. However, the Irieh voted for the bill, not as a final and satisfactory measure, but in the hope that it might become so. That, at least, was the view of the Parnellite section to which I belong. The Parnellitea hold strongly that Home Rule, to be successful, must be thorough. A full and free measure of self-government would, we are convinced, make Ireland contented and peaceful and give satisfaction to England as well. A halting and poor measure, on the other hand, would settle nothing. I think the best way to treat Irishmen is to trust them fully and generously, and they will not betray the trust. A great change has taken place in England on the Irish question. The English ccc that Home Rule would be good for them as well as Ireland. The Imperial Parliament has really not time to legislate for England, Scotland, and Ireland. Under the present system, legislation is almost at a standstill. In the end, I believe there will be very likely a Parliament each for England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, with an Imperial Parliament for matters relating to all tho countries in common. Even without the Irish question, the Imperial Parliament at present is not able for all the variety of local questions that come before it. There must be a change sooner or later, and Home Rule will be the solution all round."

11 What about the loyal minority in Ireland ? They say they will fight sooner than have Home Rule — do they not?" — "Yes; some people in Ulster talk about a rebellion in case of Home Rule. Talking about fight is one thing, and fighting is another. In 1868, when the church was disestablished, Ulster talked of fight, but it never came to anything, and I feel certain it will be the same now. The fact is, men don't fight unless they are oppressed. If an Irish Parliament were co mad as to interfere with the libertief of the Protestant minority in Ireland, that minority would, no doubt, resist, and they would be right, and many Catholics would stand by them ; but the Irish Parliament would not dream of behaving unjustly, and, consequently, I am sure the Ulstermen will stick to their ploughs, and not bother about fighting for nothing. You should remember fully one-half of Ulster is Nationalist. I was for seven years an. Ulster member myself. The Ulstcrmen are a sturdy, commonsense people, and would be, iv my opinion, the very laßt to resist in arms any bill pasoed by Parliament with the Royal assent. As for the fear that Home Rule would mean ' Rome rule,' that idea is pretty well exploded now. Why, at the last election 70,000 Catholics voted for the Parnellite candidates in opposition to the Catholic bishops of Ireland. In their religion, of course, Iho Catholics, Parnellite as well as others, are ready to obey their bishops and their church,; but in political matters the Irish Catholics, as witnessed by the Parnellite struggle, are becoming absolutely independent, and claim tho right to decide for themselves. The Irish Protestants see this very well, and consequently the cry about ' Rome rule ' ia pretty well played out." "Speaking of Parnellit?s, why do they not join with the followers of Mr M'Carthy?" — •• Because there is a wide difference of policy between the two sections. For instance, the M'Carthyites think that Home Rule ia most likely to be gained by allowing English business to be done in Parliament and allowing Home Rule to stand over for a year or so and not introduced to the House of Commons nc-xb year. The Parnellites, on the other baud, believe in the old Parnell doctrine of the Irish question, •blocking' English affairs till Homo Rule is really granted. We think that if English business is proceeded with in Parliament and Home Rule not again introduced next year, it will make Home Rule more or less a secondary question, and its supporters in England will begin to think it not such a pressing question after all. Of course we recognise that the passing of certain Liberal bills would help the Liberals to win the next election, and we are willing to help the passage of such bills all we can ; but we cannot consent to the total exclusion of the Home Rule Bill from the Commons for even one year. We hold that while good liberal bills ought to bo passed, Home Rule shotfld also occupy the time of the Commons for aT portion of next session, and every session till it is passed into law. The M'Carthyites are content to let Home Rule stand over for a year, as to have it merely introduced again into the Lords would be a farce. They think this is the best plan. We differ from them. Personally, I am in favour of most liberal reforms, and would gladly help to pass democratic laws for England, but I cannot forget Parnell's teaching of Ireland being first in Parliament till her claims are settled. B< sides, there are some liberal measures which, if introduced, would simply wreck

Home Rule. If the Local Veto Bill, for instance — which is to give the right to close publichouses in England by vote — if that is introduced it will dwarf Home Rule, and the next general election will be on the drink question, and nob Home Rule, and the Liberals may be beaten by ib. The Parnellites think that if this bill is pressed forward next session it will ruin Home Rule and pub it in the background. In other matters, too, the Parnellites are not satisfied with the present Government. They claim that the Irish political prisoners should be released, and that the Government should have legislated for the evicted tenants before now. These are things which cause serious differences of opinion between the Parnellites and the other section in Ireland. Iv committee on the Home Rule Bill last year serious differences arose between tho Parnellites and their opponents aB to the conduct of the question in Parliament. For these reasons, though they may be found voting together very often, I do not think there is any pro3pect of the Parnellites joining Mr McCarthy's banner. Of course, there are only nine Parnellite members, but the vote of tho party at the election was 70,000, aud the Parnellite section i 8 strong iv the great centres, like Dublin, where Mr Parnell waß very popular."

" Would it not have been better for Mr Parnell to bow to the storm created by the divorce ?" — " Well, he was not a man to bow to any storm. Still he might, perhaps, have retired if his own party had asked him to do so. But his owu party unanimously elected bim after the divorce, and Mr Healy declared that Irelaud would be his nation no more if the people deserted Parnell. All this, of course, induced Mr Parnell to hold on, and having been elected by his owu party, he would not bend to Mr Gladstone."

" What will happen if Gladstone is beaten at tho next election ? "—"" — " If the Torios have only a small majority they may take up tho Irish question. In any caso it \<t unlikely that they will have a majority independent of the Irish. Home Rule may be postponed for a while, but the question now is in such a position that sooner or later it must bo settled oither by Liberals or Tories, provided tho Irish members adhere to the activo policy in Parliament taught by Parnoll."