The Dominion. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1913. THE HOME RULE OUTLOOK.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1927, 9 December 1913, Page 6

The Dominion. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1913. THE HOME RULE OUTLOOK.

It now seems more likely than a.t any previous stage of the trouble that the steady pressure of public 9pinion in Great Britain will result in a serious effort being made to bring about a settlement by consent of the Home ltule question. The Prime Minister (Mn. Asquith) says lie is not going to allow himself to be hustled in tho matter, and 'certainly he has mo'ved very slowly; but his latest utterance indicates that he really intends to make some concessions and provides a basis for further discussion and. compromise. A turning point in this long and embittered controversy was reached a few months ago when Lord LoreRujin issued his appeal for a conference between the parties.' This was an unmistakable indication that the British Liberals had been forced to admit that unless some settlement was arrived at they would, have to face the probability of civil war in Ireland. Up to this stage it- had been the policy of the Ministerial journals to profess to believe that Sin Edv(ard Carson and his friends were only playing a game of bluff 011 a huge scale; but the preparations in Ulster to resist the jurisdiction of a Dublin Parliament by force of arms if necessary could 110 longer be ignored, and it became evident thatsomething must be done to put a stop to the drift towards disaster which the uncompromising attitude of no conference, no compromise involved. The _ mere suggestion of important modification!) 111 the Home Rule Bill was at the outset vigorously opposed by Mil. Redmond, the Nationalist leader, who declared that "our ship js at the harbour's mouth, the glass is 'set faiv,' and tho orders are 'full steam ahead.'" Sir Edward Carson. 011 the other side, also at first showed very little inclination to l abandon the extreme "no surrender" attitude. But when the British elector fully realised that the policy of "full steam ahead" would mean a national catastrophe, the demand for an attempt to bring about a settlemerit by consent soon became so strong that the Government was compelled to listen to it. The Nationalists also began to recognise that it would be very undesirable that the new era of self-government in Ireland should be inaugurated by riot and bloodshed, and the Ulstermcn arc now beginning to see that they will have to make some concessions and abandon some of their claims.

For a considerable time the Government hesitated to make .1 definite move; but. eventually Mb, Winston C'llirncirii.r, threw out a hint, that they would be prepared to meet any advances from the other side more than half way. Other Ministers, however, were less conciliatory, ami an authoritative declaration" from the Prime Minister was eagerly availed. This was made in the famous Ladyhank speech, but a laler utterance at Leeds left the impressi Oil that some hidden influence had caused him to dint the door to com-

promise which he had partly opened. His latest; pronouncement has just been inade at Manchester, and in it he denses any withdrawal from his Ladybank proposals, but he says that he lias been^ vainly looking for some definite indication of what the other side :s prepared to do in the way of conciliation. He sees some hope of finding a basis of agreement in certain statements recently made by Sib Edward C'auson. The" Ulster leader lays down certain general principles with which Mr, Asquith says lie is not 'prepared to quarrel. Though they do not carry the problem very far in the direction of a solution, they may provide, when taken in conjunction l with the suggestions made in the Ladybank speech, sufficient material for profitable discussion. Sir Edward Cahson's main points seein to be that there should he nothing in the Home Rule scheme which might pave the way for ultimate separation between Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom; that Ireland's self-governing powers should not differ from those which would be given to Wales or Scotland if a federal system should eventually be set up; and that nothing must be done to humiliate Ulster. At Ladybank Mn. Asquith said he was prepared to consider with an open mind any adjustments in Ulster's position, subject to certain simple governing considerations. These were, firstly, that nothing should bo done to interfere with the establishment of a subordinate legislature, in Dublin—that was the root principle from which he could not depart; sec- | ondly, nothing should be done to erect, a permanent and insuperable bar to Irish unity; thirdly, while the importance of tho extension of the principle of devolution in appropriate forms in other parts of the Kingdom is recognised, Ireland must first be dealt with. These statements by Mti. Asquith and Sin Edward Carson give some ground for hoping that the danger of civil war may be averted by an agreement between the parties. The time is now opportune for a _ clear statement of the Nationalist position, for. it has not, been made clear whether the I'rimo Minister's suggested concessions meet with the approval of Me. Hedmond and his followers. It is hardly likely that the Government would have declared their willingness to remodel the Home Rule scheme without having previously consulted their Nationalist supporters, and the probability of this having been done makes the outlook still more hopeful. In the natural course of events the next step ought to be the holding of the conference, and people in all parts of the Empire will join Mr. Asquith in hoping that a free and frank discussion may lead "to what all desire far more than the prolongation of an embittered controversy, namely, a settlement commanding the consent of all parties."