HOME RULE

New Zealand Tablet, 19 March 1914, Page 35

HOME RULE

OPPOSITION TO COMPROMISE. NO FURTHER MODIFICATION. A London cable of March 10 says: In tiie course of his speech the chairman of the Labor Party (Mr. J. Ramsay MacDonald) said there would be no general election until the Home Rule Bill had passed. the Times (U.) says editorially that Mr. Asquith’s proposals show a profound miscalculation cf the situation. i This mockery of an offer at the eleventh hour,’ says the writer, ‘ can make no favorable impression.’ The Standard (Unionist) describes the offer as grossly objectionable. The Evening News (L.) says that the offer is the final attempt for a peaceful settlement by the Liberals in the House of Commons. A cable of March 9 says: The debate on the second reading of the Home Rule Bill will probably be resumed on the 30th inst. An influential section of the Nationalists in Ireland dislike the concessions, as they believe they will involve formidable administrative confusions. Many prominent Orangemen are of opinion that Sir E. Carson has gone too far in promising to accept the Government offer if the time limit is eliminated. Lord Dunraven is of opinion that the offer of partial exclusion is meaningless unless it is established with the certainty that a scheme will be workable. He declares that the representation of Ulster in the Imperial Parliament, the position of the Lord Lieutenant, and the possibility of the Irish Parliament placing Customs barriers around the excluded counties are three outstanding difficulties. ' The Daily News says the Nationalists and the greater number of Liberals are against a compromise. It declares that it is impossible to accede to Sir E. Carson’s request that Ulster be excluded until a fresh Act is passed, as that would allow a habit of local government to grow up in Ulster with vested interests established, and it would become difficult for the Imperial Parliament to resist a claim for snecial treatment. - All parties in Ireland are distinctly unfavorable to'Mr. Asouith’s offer. The Ulstermen condemn a limited exclusion.

The Nationalists ' consider that Miv -Redmotid-rtw:-ceeded the limits of concession,. - The underwriters are charging; IQs; per centi tq-Hje police for ’insurance Against a ript. n \r°L to Cabinet-ui’eo.ting. on .-Mr. BirreH, Mr. J. E. MtJ T. :P. -.WBonjxor, ri 1 ' jV, Dlllon > and Mr. Devlin had breakfast■ wit&.-M-r. Lloyd George, and had a conference that lasted' amihdur and a-half. r . J T‘ J °} ln > M; P’> for Denbighshire, introduced a Bill giving Home .Rule, to Wales... It;provides W a single Lhamber and women’s franchise.. jj./The Times saySo/it is -rumoured--that JMr. -JjMfd George is seeking toHnduce the Nationalists, yto-agleo to the'terms which Sir. E. Carson caai .submit .re'gardipoUlster. Many of the Liberals are willing, to inept Sir E. Carson in abrogating, the time ’.limit, ~but»s the Nationalists at present refuse to agree to,further,,modincations. ... . ... j , The Daily Chronicle slates that the Nationalists ana the Government are in complete;accord. , j . <> In the course of-a leading article.the is surprised that the; Government, having gone ;so- far, did not in the interests of its own cause adopt. A simpler and less contentious principle than excluding the,>vlt®le of the province of Ulster. ‘, . ( 4. ' In the House of .Commons- Mr. • Asquith; .asked members to postpone a number of. questions relating toj the details of the Ulster proposals, and promised . a general statement on Monday. • ... V- q-o’ The Tahiti says that Ireland has no use for ; a coerced and conquered Ulster, which would becppie an Irish Alsace. It says it will be impOssible ,to control events at the end of .six years. The Nationalist's should make a virtue out of necessity. 0 .•. . Mr. O Connor says that Ireland, will never.,.consent to perpetual exclusion, 11 e would, sooner lose tlm .Bill than go to the wilderness for. another, generations J The idea of temporary exclusion is equiyalentfeto i tho.’^il , s provisions regarding reserved services., v The .excluded counties must automatically come under the, jurisd.ict\qu of the new Parliament after the transition period;. Mr. Austen Chamberlain,, speaking, at Birmirjgham, gave Mr. Asquith credit.for his anxiety to "prevent calamities, but said he could not expect t'kat,,Ulster would disband her organisation and by which alone she had been, able to gscucs,a 7 feeding. If the scheme were .passed into lavy, -exclusiim,, would be the main issue at future elections., Evexy dish ,jyp.uld be Irish stew, and scalding hot at that., . ... .

Sir Edward Carson, in : a.; letter,,.; says ‘ We are going to make good in action ail we have b,een, : spying. We are preparing for a two years’ struggle,.-that,wi).],,,be grave and almost unprecedented in recent history.-’ Mr. Devlin, M;P., in an article in, s Newspaper, argues that the Carsonites are .irpoconfliable. The Home Rule Bill should-be Passed as,.,it’s^apef ß * and the Government, should enforce the law against .the aristocrats who are plotting rebellion, Mr. F. D. Acland, Under-secretary for. Foreign A.ffairs, commenting in a speech at Acton qm.thp debates, said he had never heard speeches’ that ; f more lacking in statesmanship, in sense of reappnsibiiity, or in the feeling of human t o pl Bonar Law, leader-of the Opposjjbipp,;Hp tjjat the Government did not intendstljat Here should fee any further modification of the TTome Rule Bill, as it would only lead to further demands, y-p, MR. C HURC HU i.L ’ S DEC LA R A TTON. Mr. Churchill, speaking at Bradford on March 15, said that only the effecting bf arf agreement on the question would make it worth while for the Government to recast the Home Rule Bill. The 'duty’t>f ; the'Unionists was clear. If they did hot like the Act thdy-'mffist agitate for a majority. If they Von "the atnend or repeal the law. "The Liberals spught f old hatreds in Ireland," not- to' 'create-* ( tievh i i-mlis . They wanted to- - give theP- 'people ■ Kwhatc .they wished, not to fferee ; unbfti' disliked. Mr. 'offer ptittcipld) was rtirdvWst offer the Government timid ; 6r ■dugHtf to maikev iHf*.(the Tories rejected that offer it could only be because they

preferred shooting to voting. He was certain that the first British soldier or bluejacket killed by the Orangemen would raise an explosion that the Tories little comprehended. It would be such that it would shake the foundations of society. Sir Edward Carson was wrong as to the merits of the question. History would prove him so. Sir Edward Carson thought of an Ulster Convention that was to graciously consider the matter while the Imperial Parliament stood on tip-toe outside waiting for the verdict. When he (Mr. Churchill) looked at the situation as now unfolded he felt they had had about enough of that sort of thing. Mr. Churchill, in concluding, said: 'The Government will not allow themselves to bo bullied. Doubtless, bloodshed is a lamentable thing, but a cowardly abdication of the executive's responsibility is worse. Law and order must prevail. We are not going to have Britain sunk to the condition of Mexico. If Ulster seeks peace she knows where to find it, but if every concession is if Ulster becomes the tool of party calculations, if the civil and parliamentary systems are brought to a crude challenge of force, and if reckless (Shatter ends in the disclosure of a sinister revolution, then let us go forward and put these grave matters to the proof.'

Speaking at Newcastle, Mr. John Dillon said that he was convinced that the Government's compromise was best calculated to secure victory. If the Unionists won the next election they could repeal the Home Rule Bill if. they dared, or cut out Ulster. The Nationalists then would renew their struggle with the Irish Parliament at their back.

At the All-for-Ireland Conference now being held at Cork, Mr. W. O'Brien (Independent Nationalist) stated that the Irish Party had accepted a modified Bill, and covered itself with infamy. ' Full speed ahead!' was the order, but the party had swallowed it, and 'Full speed astern!' had taken its place. The rotten barque was flying for its life, and its Hibernian crew were waiting for an opportunity to throw the trembling captain overboard. Over 10,000 places have been opened in England for the signing of the British Covenant. The Unionist newspapers complain that Mr. Churchill's peremptory tone is calculated to increase the difficulties of the Prime Minister's immediate task. They argue that a challenge to take or leave the offer as stated is unjustified until the Prime Minister discloses far more about it than he has done heretofore. Meanwhile to-day's statement is eagerly awaited. It is understood that Mr. Asquith does not intend to make any further offer or to withdraw the existing one at present.

The Chronicle attributes the Unionists' objection to the time limit in regard to Ulster to a belief that two general elections will not displace the present Government. It adds that the Ministry offers the olive branch, and is anxious to conciliate, but it will not be blackmailed.

The Times declares that there is a distinct hardening of opinion in all quarters that Mr. Asquith will probably make it clear that if his offer proves ultimately unacceptable as a basis of settlement, it will not be submitted to a vote of the House of Commons or given any other mark of permanence.