ThE Dominion. THURSDAY, JUNE 25. 1914. BETWEEN TWO STOOLS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2185, 25 June 1914, Page 4

ThE Dominion. THURSDAY, JUNE 25. 1914. BETWEEN TWO STOOLS

The amending Hoitie Eiile Bill has at last been introduced., but itdocs not seem tp have carried the problem oi Irish , goveminent touch f ncarer to an acceptable sotutios. The cabled report of uwd ■CREWE , &s#ewh in explaining the Bill to the Housfe of Lords provides ample justification for the stafefacnt ©f the- London Times that the iww measure "will give satisfaction to nobody," though it is to be hqpecl that it will not quite "extirtguisfi tho- last f.<tiftfc hopes of peace still diaristed % Ulster." The Bill certainly elses not deal with tho difcnlt and tiategerons situation iu a sta.temafllike manner,, nor is it the result of an agreement between tho paffciss-, It is a weak and vacillating attcetpt- to allay the misgivings of Ulstej." without alfon* ating tho support ol the Nationalist members on which the very existence of the Government (fcp&icls. .This Bill does n&t provide- for the definite exclusion of tJlstoi*, tier dfres it insist upon its autoinatje inchision! at the end of the siS-yeaf- period; I but it makes provision for the Jteoa-! sidpvation of tMs evwsiaJ questj-ofli j This would mean tljst this long and.j i bittjr controversy wo'ulsl bo feoptJ alive for at least anothor six years, I It would remain li-fcp a,n. open sore, ] and all the existing foiyds and iini-: mosities would go on abate*' ment, accompanied: by an evct-pre- : sent danger of sctf&ttg confliett. It , is true that Lokp ObSwb gave an assurance the Bill gives the widest; possible htitmte for afflfriidaicMt, to: which Lord made _ tho pertinent reply tjiat it wag undignified for tho Goverroneiifc to iwtrodtiCß unacceptable proposals antl then ask the Opposition tc* assist to CQft?e.Vt them into & tangible ws-rkiag meas- , lire. .Tho House of hpvis hfts iwt ynt dealt with the principal Hoffie Eijlfl Bill, having decided to postpone- its consideration until t : ho oonttnts of the amending measure Are disclosed. The Peers naturally want to kfi&w exactly what they arc doing, contending that their attitude to the main Bill -must in a large measure depend on the itlterations which the Government propcssß to make in, the scheme. The general opinion seems-to be that the Weirds will not reject cither of the Bills right out, and leave them to pass antanatically under the Parliament Act: kit that they will amend them and throw the responsibility of rejecting their amendments upoii tho MiitisteviaS majority in the House of Commons. Loiip'CJr.EWE states that thn itiiicnding Bill is on the linns of the proposals made by the Prime Minister in March last. Oil that occasion Mr. Asquith declared that the Government had explored three roads to a Kol.Ucmir.nl.. 1. Home Eule ivitta Saw* Eple, whkh

was found acceptable to »«itlser party in f Ireland. • i 2. The ttlialn of IreluHil included, ami an nntioii "jjlvt'ii the Ulster comities niter u iapse uf a certain time to reveal to the piTsent position. y, Exchisirm, which keeps the controversy alivo and which can never be put forward aa a solution lint only as iiii expedient that may paint tiie wn'y to a final settlement. In spile of the difficulty the Government hnvo come to the coiiclttsien that the easiest way to settlement is to allow tho Ulster counties tkewsolws to determine whether or Mot they desiro to be excluded. If they vote lot occlusion they eanunt bq btoitglit fe&cb oscept with tlie assent oi the majority oi tlia whole rf tiio Us.it«l Ki.Hgdgm. ' ' • j Uii. Bewfoxß • declared .at the time that in tho above suggestions Mb. Asqbith Jwd gone "to'tbeestrcraest lifliit of coiMossion," and if the proposals wore rejected "the Bill as it is nt present must go forward." It now remains to be seen whether the Government is prepared to run the risk of offending the- Nationalists hy taking $ xxioio or less indepancfejit eo-ujrsc in order to avoid the fisk tif civil war. If it is not free J;o de this then Lobd Cbbwe's i-omai'K that tho amending Bill, gives "the widest possible latitude for .affiend.ni.ent" is an empty and meaningk'ss assurance.The general impression secme to bo that this latest SEigistei-ial tinnoarifiement has nob matte the outlook any less gloomy. When Mb. Asqsith. made his proposah in March he was ] teici ttey were fut-ijo, because tteyj tveic eqiiivaleiit bet compelling tJislG.i'' to eoroo in when fte-jr o.r;ganJsa.tioM was disbaoded. Sip ifiWAhb' Carson ■ declared that Ulster waiitod t-ks qujsti(m settled now and for ever. She ; tiid not want a- sentence of death -with j a stay of execution for six y.gsjfs. The new Bill does not pf-wide either for periaaHCnt exclusion or aufeatnatic wqlesion, tat tile exact line be-. twecn tbcsd two p.ositkrtis which tho Gwefnitient propffscg to take has not ■ yet been mads quite c!s*i% though ' the iateijtion appears to be to ba-i'k] back to /tho suggestions whiph Mi!, j REOsroNB <lcscri.bfitl as "tlie bsfcrowiesfc litnits of conccissioß." , For months past the pmidiilnifi lias hecil 4swinging iietwcen • hope a-ntl despair. At times all parties have adopted a c<?nriliatory attitude, and a .peaceful i sutttoment has been almost in sight; but nothing has ever beftti aciaail.V done ia the way of a mutSal agree-' Hient. On a recant occasion Hit. CfttTRCHjLi nwtfo a (Jifeel appeal to SfR EPWAfii* Carson,.antl asked why : ha eould not say bc>ldiy, s '''Give i»e tho anloftdiitonts to 'the Bill which I ask for to safegitaidl the dignity'and interests vt Ufeter, end I "in return j will tiso all iny influence and good*] will to wake Ireland an integral in a Federal system" I "This appeal j evoked feeling t'esponsi? from Mb. Balfouk aad Sib EftWAKb Oa-pSOn. aad jln r - ASQtJtTji said th&ii* spirit j was entirely reciprocated by the; GoveraaoTit. But Moihiftg reafly hap-" Jiened, :x«A after rmtfth pressavre for a clear ifoelaratio'ft) of its intetit-tons' this Govevnroan* has at'3fce.|th intro- , duped the kftg-promised , amending Bill i! on the Bafts , pi the Premiers March proposals;" Most .people lave ,, flow given xjp hoping for a really satisfartbfy settleiufeflt of t-hfc Mβsiilty. The raosi they are cspeeifcißfi h, as Mr. BarJpttit recently statotf. HOfc the best solviii&n, but $prfte tde.v a-hle way out of an.-imptJSsible,&j : tiia-; tiofi.. . ■ ; . .