HOME RULE ALL ROUND

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 890, 9 August 1910, Page 5

HOME RULE ALL ROUND

NEW WAY OUT ON THE LORDS' VETO PROBLEM. . 1 STARTLING RUMOURS. CRITICS SAY COURSE RUINOUS s TO WHOLE EMPIRE. ] •fly TeleErioh-Preas Aeaociation'-OoDTrleht. ( (Rec. August 8, 10.55 p.m.) . ( London, August 8. ( Tho appearance of the manifesto of,the ( Scottish National Committee last week, ! in advocacy 'of Home Rule;, for Scotland, together with the recent speech of Mr. ' Birrell, Chief' Secretary for Ireland, at I the Eighty Club, in favour of the granting of greater powers of self-government to'lreland, Scotland, England, and Wales, have aroused a belief that the Veto Conference, of which Mr.. Birrell is one of the four Liberal delegates, is discussing Home Rule all round, including Imperial federation as a means of L seouring a reform of the House of Lords, which would be acceptable to .the Liberals., ' • The "Spectator" stales that a dissolution of the Umou and the restoration of a heptarchy, plus,a. prematuTo federation, would mean ruin at Home and overseas.' It is not believable that the statesmen of the overseas-Dominions would propose to bully the United Kingdom into disintegrating herself in the name of Imperial Federation. It is on open secret, continues ■ tne "Spectator," that there are. parties in, some of the Australian States who regret the establishment of the Commonwealth. This* however, is a passing phase, which has affected . most federations, including the United States; but the disintegration if Great Britain would be a fatal example to the rest of the Empire. The real explanation of the suggested devolution is the desire of certain politicians to rid themselves of the sorry Irish disaffection, but;the country is not going to risk the destruction of the State in order to make it easier for party politicians to play a game of catoh-as-oatch-can in comfort. ■ ..The "Observer" says the , conference must stiok to the immediate constitutional, question, as to precipitate the introduction, of Home Rule all round would ruin . everything. • ' ; A movement that cannot be ignored (said the London "Morning Post" of June 30, in an article on the Veto Conference) came to a head yesterday with the formation of a "Scottish National Committee," which, is really a Scottish Home Eulo group. For .soino time past certain Scottish representatives have been protesting that the affairs of.their country have not received due attention at the hands of the Government. The malcontents held a meeting yesterday, and passed the following resolution:— "That a committee bo formed with the object of establishing representative government .in Scotland for the . control of purely Scottish affairs." It was arranged that a conference on the subject should be held in Scotland in the autumn, to be followed by a large public meeting, and that all members of the committee should be present. Over twenty Scottish members are 6aid to have joined the committee, and as. these comprise one-third of the Liberal and Labour representation of Scotland, the movement must beregarded as a serious one. ; Among those who attended yesterday's meeting were Mr. Pirie, Sir John Jardine, Mr. Cowan, Sir Henry Dalziel, Mr. A. C. Morton, Mr; Price, Mr. Barnes, Mr. Chappie, 'Mi-. J. D, Hope, Mr. R. Eainy, and Mr; Munro-Ferguson.