HOME RULE.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXI, Issue 3, 4 November 1892, Page 17

HOME RULE.

OME RULE for Ireland seems near at hand ; and nothing can long delay it, except dissensions amongst Irish Home Rulers themselves. For this reason the action of the faction called Parnellites is greatly to be deplored ; and our surprise is great to learn that any section, however small, of Irishmen can be so stupid as to aid and abet this faction. True, the Irish nation, as such, has emphatically repudiated the factionists, still these have unfortunately too many supporters. But we hope that these misguided men trill soon come to see the absurdity and wickedness of faction and will return to their allegiance to their country, which claims their loyal support. More than enough has been given to faction, which should now cease, and would soon cease if all patriotic Irishmen would do as they are bound in justice and common sense to do— namely, throw in their lot with the overwhelming majority of their countrymen. Were this done, nothing could stop the onward progress of the question of Home Rule. "We regard the opposition of the House of Lords as really not serious. This House will never run counter to the public opinion of the nation, and this opinion has been pretty emphatically expressed, and will certainly be still more emphatically expressed, in the near future. Borne over-sanguine politicians think, and think so because their hopes run in the same direction, that the nation at the next general election will reverse its verdict on this question. But we doubt very much if any real statesman, or experienced politician, is of this opinion. All the probabilities are in favour of the opinion that, instead of revoking its decision, the nation at the next opportunity will return a still larger majority than it did at the last general election. By the time of the next general election " one man one vote " will certainly be the law of the realm, and registration will be self-acting. With these two amendments in the electoral law, the ranks of Home Rule voters will be immensely increased, and consequently there will be more polling at the polling booths. Before an increased majority of Home Rule members of the Hovse of Commons, the Lords' House will and must pass a Home Rule Act for Ireland. All lovers of Ireland's peace and prosperity, as well as of the peace and stability of the Empire, will rejoice when this shall come to pass. JNo sensible man can understand why that should be denied to Ireland which is granted to the pettiest and youngest of the colonies, or why the peace and well-being of millions of men should be endangered by denying an act of simple justice and sound policy. Public opinion throughout the world ia on the side of Ireland in this dispute, and nations are beginning to cry shame on the statesmanship that endeavours to perpetuate national strife, discontent, crime, poverty, and bigotry, in an old aud illustrious country, whose sons have carved out for themselves glorious careers in every country in the world, wherever they found a fair field, fair play, and ordinary justice ; whereas under the blighting influence of the unjust laws of the English Government the road of progress and distinction has been blocked against them for centuries and their native land has been turned into a species of Pandemonium. But it may be said, and it has been said, that all this belongs to the past. Nothing of the sort, for though some penal laws may have been repealed, the spirit infused into Englishmen and Scotchmen still subsists, and Irishmen in many ways are made to suffer from this spirit in many lands under British institutions. Here, for example, are not we still suffering the effects of the diabolical spirit of the penal laws, in finding ourselves compelled to pay double taxes in order to be able freely to educate our children in accordance with our consciences ?