MR. JESSE COLLINGS ON THE FUTURE GOVERNMENT OF IRELAND.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XI, Issue 5, 25 May 1883, Page 5

MR. JESSE COLLINGS ON THE FUTURE GOVERNMENT OF IRELAND.

In the course of the debate on Mr. Gorst's amendment, Mr. Jesse Collingß, who has so frequently shown a true appreciation of the Irish situation, delivered a speesh from which we take the following passages, as reported in the Time" :— Mr. Collings complained that the only policy approved by the Opposition was a policy which would postpone indefinitely all remedial measures and rely for the pacification of Ireland on force alone. Almost all the constituencies in the kingdom— certainly those which contained a large number of voters of the industrial class— were slowly but surely coming to the conclusion that extensive powers ef local government, always within the limit of sustaining the unity of the Empire, must be as soon as possible, if not immediately, given to the people of Ireland (hear, hear, from the Irish members). The absolute failure of the Coercion Act had been acknowledged by the Opposition, by many on that (the Ministerial) side who had supported it, and he believed by the right hon. member for Bradford himself. Some of them had protested against the Act, not only on account of its uselessness, but of the positive mischief it would do, When all history told them that as long as there were evils, to be remedied, Coercion Acts were not only simply useless but positively mischievous, it was curious to hear the same line of argument pursued in favour of other and severer Coercion Acts. Carey had declared at Kilmainham that the " inner circle " was formed because the country was under coercion, and its leaders were in prison, and that, therefore, recruits for the infamous work were easily obtained. That point should be accentuated, because it would dispose of the suggestion of the mover of the amendment that the Government were in some way mixed up with these men. The member for the University of Dublin (Mr. Gibson) let out yesterday

thereal meaning of the amendment, which was, if possible, to creata a panic in the minds of 'the .people of England and of the Government, so as to make any further remedial legislation for Ireland impossible. The history of the last fifty years showed that nearly all remedial measures for Ireland had been kicked out or so mutilated as to be rendered useless by the other House (hear). When the present Government came in, their first remedial measure— the Disturbance Bill — was thrown out by the House of Lords, and a feeling of despair took possession of Ireland. , At first the people of Ireland regarded the Liberal Government with hope, but they failed to understand that the Government might not be able to carry out their wishes. The reasons for their discontent were well known, and had led to a state of things in which he waß now, glad to acknowledge an improvement from whatever cause. If the situation in Ireland had really improved, -as he believed it had, it was important to' discover the cause of the change and keep it in operation (hear). Many hon. members thought tbe change due to the earful enforcement of the Crimes Act, but that he entirely denied. .In his opinion, the credit of the improvement belonged to the remedial legislation of the Prime Minister, to the general reduction of rent by about 20 per per cent., and to the granting of fixity of tenure. The noble lord, the member for Woodstock had said that the amendment, related, to the future ; and the question no doubt was what was to be the future of Ireland. The Irish members themselves proposed Home Rule, .the Opposition wished to keep the country in ordei by bayonets and police ; but neither of these remedies would suit a Liberal Government, for on that side of the House the problem was so perplexing as actually to undermine, in the case of a few members, the principles of Liberalism itself. Repression could be no cure for the evils of Ireland, and it should be the first duty of a Liberal Government,, on the restoration of anything like order, to bring in measures of reform. Otherwise there, would be. too much foundation for the charge that we yielded more to agitation than we' yielded from a sense of justice. Unfortunately, there were too many who would pay no attention to peaceful demands, and who afterwards said they could not give in to violence, so that between the two they would never yield anything at all. . The widest selfgovernment for Ireland was consistent with the unity of the Empire.