HOME RULE CRISIS,

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1870, 2 October 1913, Page 7

HOME RULE CRISIS,

— LULL IN EVENTS.

AWAITING MEETING OF CABINET.

THE ONLY WAY OUT.

APPEAL TO THE COUNTRY,

By Telegrapli-Press Association—Copyright (Rec. October 1, 6.40 p.m.) London, October 1. No decision regarding tho Homo Rule question iB likel.v to bo arrived at until Cabinet meets in the middle of tho month.

It is believed in Liberal circles in London that the Government does not contemplate making any approaches to the Opposition.

There is also current a strong opinion that the Liberal party is averse to a conference.

(Rec. October 1, 9.35 p.m.)

London, October 1,

Lord St. Aldwyn (better known as Sir Michael Hicks-Beach), in a letter to the press, states that lie had no personal bias towards a settlement of the Ulster question by consent. He instances - tho case of tho Irish Church Act of 1869, and the Reform Act of 1885. In thoso l cases, however, both parties agreed oil the principle, but no such accepted basis existed for a conference oil tho Home Rule question. How, ho asks, could tho Government depart from the principle of an autonomous Ireland, or the Unionists accopt a principle which t'hey had opposed for twenty-seven years. Even it the Nationalists agreed to tho exclusion of Ulster, lie felt sure that tlio Ulster Protestants would never yield_ their tt-flak and scattered co-religionists in other parts of tho country to a denomination which in Ulster tlioy, dreaded for themselves.

Therefore, he concludes, he did not anticipate a useful result from a conference. Thore was room to find an escapo from the mischief which was going 011 in Ulster, and both parties ought to discuss the possibility of eliciting the country's judgment on tho matter, with a guarantee that if that judgment were tho House of Lords would not impose any obstacle to tlio passing of the Bill into law in 1914.

This course would obviate the passing of tho Bill under tho Parliament Act, the idea of which was odious to the Unionists, and largely 'a cause of _ the present trouble. Welsh Ohurcli Disestablishment could be similarly treated. No responsible Minister would contend that Homo Riilo should become law if'a majority of tho peoplo opposed it.

An Act for the disestablishment and partial disendowment of tho Irish Church, was passed by Mr. Gladstone's Government in 1869. The Irish bishops lost their seats in the Houso of Lords, tho Irish Ecclesiastical Courts were abolished, and the union between the English and Irish Churches dissolved. Tho future government of the Irish Cljurch was entrusted to a synod elected by the clergy and laity. Of 'the Church pioperty, valued at about sixteen millions, seven millions were used to compensate incumbent? ana to replace the Maynooth Grant and Kogium Donura.

Lord Ashbourne's Irish Land Act (1885) gave additional facilities for tho purchase by tenants of their holdings. An advance of ,£5,000,000 was made to tho Land Commissioners for this purpose, while tho terms to purchasers were more generous than thoso of the Bill of ISBI. The purcliaso money was to he advanced at i per cent., and be repaynblo in fortynine years, while the surplus of the Disestablished Church fluids was to be used as a guarantee to the State against loss.