HOME RULE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1091, 1 April 1911, Page 15

HOME RULE.

A CHALLENGE AND THE REPLY

PREMIER'S PLEDGE.

CANADIAN & SOUTH AFRICAN MODELS. DEBATE IN HOUSE OF COMMONS The Parliamentary correspondent of the "Morning Tost," writing on February 15, gives tho following interesting description of the recent debate in the House of Commons on Home Rule for Ireland i— ■ In tho unhappy position, in which the House of Commons now finds' itself, a Home Rule debate on the Address was inevitable. It is plain to all men, as suggested in the amendment on which last 'night's discussion turned, that one of the main reasons for seeking to cripple the Second Chamber is that that Chamber stands in the way of- the attainment by tho Nationalists of the policy to which thoy have so long devoted their energies. What mora natural than that on the cvo of tho commencement of the Constitutional struggle Unionists should attempt to focus opinion on the aims of those who are now dictating the Ministerial policy. Tho amendment which was moved by Mr. Lan Malcolm .with this object in view drew attention to "tho obscure and conflicting declaration." of Ministers concerning Home Rule,' and denounced the Home Rule policy as being -"subversive of the unity of the' United Kingdom and of the well-being of all its parts." One useful result has been attained by the discussion. It has clarified the position. After the speech made by the Prime Minister no ' one can have the least doubt that the Government intends, as soon as the Constitutional question lias been dealt with, to concede the full Nationalist demand of self-government for Ireland. Mr. Asquitli, indeed, seemed to go further than- most advocates of Home Rule, for he likened the policy of the Government to that which was applied seventy years ago to Canada, and which has recently been applied to South Africa.

One of the Fighting Line. Mr. Malcolm is of the fighting lino of the Unionist party, lie is by no means a new- member. }le served in Parliament for eleven years as the representative of the Stowmarket Division.. Indeed, ho once had the more or less enviable distinction of being so-closely identified with a small group of Unionist critics of the late Unionist Government that somebody jestingly termed them "Tho Jtnlcolmtents." ■He does not look much older than when he entered Parliament sixteen years ago, though his oratorical style has mellowed and improved. Speaking on the present occasion for over an hour, he kept the House interested from start to finish. This was no doubt partly because he has made a special study of Irish topics, and because lro had all tho facts at his finger-ends. Certain of the quotations 'lie laid before the House must have caused some searching of heart ou the part of the Prime Minister and his colleagues; others must have proved somewhat embarrassing to the Nationalists. . Some of Mr. Malcolm's phrases were striking. For instance, ho compared the position to which the House of Commons has, now been degraded to that of a; 'gramophone-' and said -the-' ■Go'veriiihcht' now proposed to reduce the House, of Lords 1 to tho'.impotency- of a "house.of waxworks." When one of the Nationalists suggested that he should call it a "chamber of horrors" he retorted that if it were a chamber of horrors it was ono largely recruited from tho Radical parly. He showed that Mr. Redmond claims' to stand just where Mr. Parnell stood, and that Mr. Parnell refused to .rfrfqpt.iGlailstimian Home Rule as more lift iih'fiiMAfdWnr. ■ One'..of • his. (jUota- - -tioilsatoi's 'that l of that Ireland could not pay her way under Home Rule without a large cheque .from Hnglaiid..--"He calls-it. a wedding gift,"'said Mr. Malcolm; '"1 should call it a separation allowance." He ended by warning tho Government that if the "Ulstcrmcn rose the responsibility for disturbance, if not for civil war, would rest on the Government, and not on the Nationalists, who kept them in power. In a remarkably able speech, full of arresting passages, Lord Hugh Cecil pressed for a clear statement of the Government's intentions, at the same time declaring his apprehension thut ( they were to be concealed till they could have ,-no Effective influence on the fortune's of 'the Parliament Bill. "There are many ways," he said, "of conducting revolutioiiary changes, and the least estimable : is by fraud." Lord Hugh Cecil avowed that he felt as strongly as any- member of the Unionist party that the great task of our time was to unite the British Empire more and more closely as one great country.

Mr, Asquith's Speech. ' Tlio House had been well filled from the beginning, ami it was densely crowded when the' Prime Minister went to the table. Mr. Asquith's declaration of policy was particularly brief. The speech in which it was embodied lasted less than half an hour, and the intention? of the Government were described in the vaguest outline. The Prime Minister quoted and repeated some of the statements made by him at Ladybank in 1901 and at (he Albert Hall in November, 11103. In face of the second 6f these declarations he said that everybody who voted at the General Election df 1910 did so with the full knowledge that when the Constitutional question fiad been d-calt with the first task of the Liberals would be to carry out the policy of full self-government for Ireland. He affirmed that the case of Ireland ■ was paramount in urgency, and importance, and that a satisfactory solution of the problem could only be given by creating an Irish Parliament and an Executive responsible to that Parliament to deal Willi purely Irish affairs, but on the condition that the indefeasible supremacy of the Imperial Parliament must bo maintained. i "That's very simple," said Mr. Asqtiith. "It is also very obscure," cried Ijcf.d llugh Cecil. The Prime Minister denied that there was any obscurity and said the policy was well known. "Seventy years ngo," he said, "it was applied to Canada. It has been applied in our own time under ouv own eyes, within the last lew years, to South Africa." And he asked: "Why should not the samo remedy be applied at home?"

j "We Accept," says Mr, Redmond. ! Mr. John Redmond followed. Amid tho resounding cheers of tho followers who packed tho benches around him, he gave his benediction to the Prime Minister. '.'To-night," said the Nationalist Leader, ''the right lion, gentleman has given his definition of Home Rule. We accept flint definition absolutely." He attempted to brush aside the Nationalist utterances quoted by Mr, Malcolm. What, ho asked, fould bo said of a man who had attempted to stave off South African Union by quoting what was said by General Botha and General I)e Wet while the Boer Army was in the field?—and he claimed to be judged by what ho declared now. He front'on to spoil the effect of this appeal by saying that what he declared now was declared by Mr. Pnrnoll and every man who had spoken with authority since 1880. He expressed the belief that the Home Pule defined by Mr. Asquith would bo n final settlement. Then, in a passage evidently designed to conciliate doubtful Opinion, he denied that lie was a Separatist, and decl.ued ,lhat he was a Home Ruler because ho was anxious to see peace and amity between the peoples of England nnd Ireland. "There is no Nationalist," he said, "who would accept n settlement of the Trish problem under which it would be nnssiblc for injustice to be done to the Protestants." Mr. Redmond ended bv expressing a hope that, as the pacification of South Africa would stand in the page of history as the KreatceP glory of the reign of King Edwnrd VII. to the present romu might be made still 'more glorious by the opening by tho Sovorei"n in person of a Parliament of a friendly and reconciled Irish nation. ; "Something Akin to Civil War." •\fter this speeches which everybody wished to hear followed in rapid succession. In a one nL'lit's debate on Home liule there was, indeed, little'chaiico for un'v but the most r?preMiitntiyc men In make their voices heard. Mr. Walter 1 Loii" succeeded the Jiationahst Leader.

Dealing with Mr. Redmond's.declarations, .Mr. Long remarked that this was not Hie lirst time in which insurances hud been given of protection and fair play lor the .Irish minorilv, yet experience had shown Hint suoh promises had never been lullillcd. He declared once more his opposition to "Home link of every tort and kind," and said he believed thai it there was to be Home .Unto of the kind loveshadowed bv the I'l-ime Jlinistcr it would produce in h-el-ind poinetliiiis akin lo civil war. Then eame Jlr. Churchill, with .1 woli-phrascd and obviously c.wtiilly-nre-pared oration in wliich he told lnc House that it had (0 deal with a Ireland which must be looked at with modern eyes. He urged that if (he principle of Home Kule could he freed from prejudice and rancour the settlement of the details would not baffle the wits of loyalhearted men. Patient Expectancy. The attitude of the little baud of.ln-! dependent Nationalists was defined by their leader, Jfr. William O'Brien. It is not to he assressivc, hut to he.one nt the "patient expectancy" recommended by the Prime Jlinistcr. The Independents intend to do nothing to prejudice tlO schemes for Hie promotion of Home liule. Moreover, there was nothing m Mr. .lolm Redmond's speech from which Mr. >YUlinm O'Brien cared to dissent. A promising first appearance was made bv Mr. AV. Archer Redmond, a ran ot the Nationalist Leader and one of' the youngest members in the House. Jlis performance was watched with anxious eyes by his father, whom he closely resembles both in appearance ami manner, and who had every reason to be satisfied with the way in which so youtlmu a politician acquitted himself.

Uncompromising Hostility. Uncompromising hostility to Hoine Eule in any form was expressed by bir Ln« aj« Carson, who freely admitted that the question was one on which he was bitter, lie expressed the conviction that Home, Rule would not only he of no possible advantage to Ireland, but would be to the absolute detriment of that country bir Edward Carson admitted that .he had done his best to turn, the limelight on to tno Home Rule question at the last election, but said that wherever he did so some Radical did his best to turn it off again. Mr. Birrell wound up for the Orn eminent in a speecli so full ot witticisms that it kept the House in a continual ripple of laughter. ~.,..„ At eleven- o'clock when several Unionists rose to continue the discussion. Mr. Asquith" moved the closure opposed by the Unionists but carried lij a majority of lit.. The House then dl- - Mr. Malcolms amendment which was re ectcd bv 32fi rotes to ,13n majority of 113. Tho Address was afterwards agreed to.