HOME RULE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 161, 3 April 1920, Page 7

HOME RULE

-——•>■ BILL' READ SECOND TIME MINISTERS' REPLIES TO CRITICISMS i •• 1 ... •-.THE DANGERS OF SELF- :. DETERMINATION > By• Teleg'rai)H—Press Associations-Copyright London, -March '31. The second reading of the Home .Rule ':Bi(lj was carfied by, '348,' Votes to 94. When the Irish debate ,was ..resumed •Mr. A'squitlr said. he disagreed' with" the view that order nuist bo restored More constitutional changes .could be considered. He was or opinion . that the .root of- the mischief wpiild not. be touched until by wide,reforms in tho system .of government the. .general co-operation of , Irishnjeri-had been enlisted in the enforcement of tho law. He recalled his pledge'that.th'c.vast majority.of the people of Ireland: should have* .an Irish Legislature arid an Irish Executive, subject to the necessary'safeguards for Im--•perial- supremacy and the protection of the Irish . minority,' '• Mr. Asquith's • Pledge, ' Replying 'to art''interruption '.by 'Mr. ,Bonar 'Law,' Mr. .'Asquith said his pledge .involved' the grant, of ft. Parliament for the whole of - t Ireland.,' The pill, ho said, was' r cuihbvous, costly, and.' unworkable. It-was not"'demanded or supported by <Sny section in Ireland. ''• Mr. Acquitti suggested that tho Home Rule Bill should'be retained, but amended in some of .the most' vital particulars. For example,' thy powers the Irish Parliament and Executive under the Act should be enlarged so as to give them -practically "a Dominion status;- though- lie admitted that' the' . geographical contiguity' of Ireland :to Britain importantly differentiated., her .position, particularly .in ..the military sense, from, the position of a Dominion. , He also suggested extensive financial adjustments, and county option in Ulster. * ' ; ''' . Meaning of Dominion Home Rule.. '. 'Mr, Bonar' Law emphasised the -fact, that the Government was compelled to introduce' the Bill nf'tho Present, stage because' otherwise, the . existing Home Ritle Act would automatically come into operation.' Ulster,.he said, mi'ist. not he brought .under the Dublin.' -Parliament ex : cept by its' oiVn. free' will. The Bill was intended to give, Ireland the largest '.'measure of Home' Rule compatible with ;the national security and '-.the pledges that had been given.,, Mr. Asouith's suggestion did not, mean Dominion' Home Rule, . the .'essence .o'f...which was the Dominions' control of their fighting forces. ,'.Mr. Asquith proposed to reserve the control of. the arriied "forces. The connection of t.he_Dominioiis .with'the Empire depended'.upon the Dominions, and if any. one'of them chose to-morro.w to say ' it. would no-longer remain part of the Empire, we should not try to force it. .Dominion- Home Rule meant 'the right to' decide, 'the country's.. own destiny. This was demanded'by,the legal representatives of ,'the Irish 'people;. and for, Miv Asquith to .say he. was/prepared, to give Dominion Home Rule,'must mean •.nothing less than '.{hat he' was prepared .to give the. Irish p republic. There was •no difference between honestly granting D.omiriioii. Home Rule and' openly giving self-determination to the elected, representatives of: Southern ' Ireland. He. challenged, the. Labour. Party to say> whether they meant if the elected represen-' talives of'lreland, wanted a republic they would, eive. {hem,'a republic. ' ' Mr. Bonar,'Law continued that if the Bill' became law arid .Sinn ■Eciners.-r.e-. fji'M to work''with' the Parliament, provision would bo'mado in 1 the' Bill' for' an'.immediate reversioij. to the' present nositioii. If. tlie whole of Southern .Ire.lilnd would .have onlv a republic -no settle'nient' was possible. ' If,'- however, ' thei'S iyas .ll.' large sane'/eJeriVeni: in the ,ppj):fll.a.t)6iv' ( h'e'vjdijl', not',,believe'; thaf' w.ith' .'a': Pai'linTnerit. op'erahnij in .'aiipther part W Ireland they' would refuse to work in. the Southern Parliament. Mr. Devlin .stwrigly aftackeil tho Bill. .They, .might, send. t.Ko whole .'Army and Navy to Ireland;.but might, was. right' drily for a time. .Aviation's heart's de-'. sire, was only, "satisfied . bv' a 1 recognition \of' the!'-spirit, of justice and "tho concession of. freedom. . . Position of Ulster.' . ::Sir • Edward .Carson, while, recording his- unalterable -opposition to ,-the,!whole policy, of Home .Rule, and disclaiming any responsibility for the .scheme,, .said.. it would have been easy for .him to say he-'Would continue, to fight,, -to a .finish', but. the cardinal facts were .the Act of -1914' on the Statute Book and the .pledges .givon' to Ulster. _Many.r6ld .friends, were calling liiiri- a-traitor-because .he..was not fighting-, .to the end, but -he -had beeft offered a Parliament for six. counties arid lie :could nokask Ulster.- to get, rifles lind .'fight for ; -'what ..was--offered.-' neaceably, He: would not vote- for . thn Bill,, but ihc ■would -not prevent it-passing. ~He, chal-. leriged the Labour.-Party to .go ,to the ■country.-, with .. the... announced, determina- • t:ion- to drive Ulster, under a' Sinn Fein , ■Parliament-or. to give.:lreland,.an actual., or: potential republic,. If- anyone. who ■ could speak -for .South Jreland- and .West Ireland appealed to hijn t6 do his ; best to start to govern .in good-tempere<l manner under - the new. Irish Parliaments he would most.'heartily,.agree, ,and > would anticipate the. speediest,, union in one Parliament. ,He . promised that.. Ulster would do--''her--level best with her 'Parliament. '' : V' Result of Self-government .In. the' Colonies. '.' Mr. W.. Atlamson (Lalipur), dealing wilh . Mi - . Bonar; Lpw'b questtori as. to whether .the- La'bour Party was prepared to' give .lieland. .a', .republic, 'pointed ' out. .thatgranting .Home Tffile to the Dominions ; had not t'esultedfin the, establishment of, independent republics.-. On tte 'con-. trar.y, tlie' .colonics, topvhicli it;'-uad been granted, had boon earnest friends and supportor.=.of.the Mother Country. Why, then, should the grant, of Dominion Home : .Rule to Ireland be dangerojis? Person-; ally, lie snggistixl fithp.r the |,-raut of. full-self-government, to Ireland, with pro- . vision -for' tho protection; of minorities, ■ Qwj';,questions .'of defence and ;foreign- re- f ■ JiiVione-being'rsserved'for the' Imperial' Clove.rnment, pr th'at an "assembly repre- , tyhole; 1r.4 people' el eel eij ...W \proportional; representation fhonld .draft a" rie)\; Coristitution. with a' similar prnvision' ahd'reservation. "Useless ,to Talk. of Sctf-DetQrmination." ' 1 Mr."Lloyd- Gcorgo-declared-,;-that .the. debate!'ckad.r,.'.demgiiSh'ate<l that the. Government's-plan held, the .field. ,Unv, doubte'dly:'the majority of Irishmen want- : ed independence!'and an Irish Depublrc. It'was useless.-to talk- of sclf-determnia-' tion; ■Supporters of , that: policy piust, go tho full: length, of granting the Irish .a reiiul/iic. • Every jiavt of ill© country, which had been acting . logethcr for > . .ccntul'y, was entitled ( to sny it inwint to ; .establish i\ separate republic, lie asked the leader of ..tho' Lnlxmr 'Party _ if _ he .favoured the application of'the principle of self-determination to Ireland. Mr. Clynes, after hesitation,, said, not as Mr. Lloyd. (JeoVge delinctl it. Mr. Lloyd ,'George', said that meant tiwi; the Labour Pfi.rty opposed;nny Irish dtinaud for 'a repiiblie.'. He expressed life gratificationiat this, but told the Labour members thev, sjho.uid not mislead Hit .Irish electorate ■ :Mr.„ Lloyd. George 'asserted : tliht no' section of li'clnnd.'would accept Mr. Asouitli's plan,' ns no . party in Britain .w6pld accept tlie- proposal ..''avoiired by. the majority? of tn,e Irish opinion. The British Government, with" its respoilsi-' biiit\Vtd' the whole Empire, must expr'cise''its'wisest' considered 'iudgment..- He refuted Mr. Devlin's criticism of the Irish Parliament's restricted powers.; If. ■Scotland and' "\Volcs were ofl'ered a simila.r measure they would gratefully accept it Certain powers like .Customs control might be conferred on Ireland if it settled down and-occopted the union, but at present it would lie placing a •'angerous -weapon in the hands ; of infuriated 'p«ople. He concluded by expressing the sanguine .belief that the Bill would lead to-union,-though not within oinf to threo years.—Ans.-N.Z.- -Cabk- Assn. DUBLIN PRESS OPINIONS. Ouhl'n, March '30. j The newspapers pour' scorn on tlie Home Rule scheme; '

''Freeman's Journal" says it: is i.ishon-c-st and a great:'sham. The Government's real purposy is to promote disorder and anarchy. Tho "Irish Independent" describes the Bill as an unclean thing, which tho Irish will fling back in the authors' teeth. "We have a Government of three F's—force, futility,- and failure." The "Irish Time''' .says the Government has-not left the Bill.'he faintest chance of succcss— Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. ,-ROUNDING-DP SINN FEINERS LARGE NUMBER ARRESTED. London, March 30. Military raids have been made in Londonderry, Tyrone, and -Donegal, and a number of prominent Sinn I.'einei's have been arrested, including J, Sweeney, a .Donegal M.P. There aro now seventy Sinn Feiners in the 'Londonderry gaol. They have been demonstrative lately, singing rebel-songs at tho windows, and . the authorities, /fearing that disorder would -be caused, have introduced a strong, military guard, with " inachiiie-guns.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. j LORD MAM OF CORK SINN FEIN LEADER. ELECTED. London, - March 30. Alderman M'Swiney : has been elected Lord Mayor of. Cork. He is a . Sinn Fein leader who has been deported and iir'.prisoned several times.— Aug.-N.Z. Cable Assn. : ■ \ . [Tho Lord Mayor's chair'has been v,v cant for several days owing to the murder of Mr. Mac Curtain, who was also a Sinn Feiner.] EASTER CHARGEDImi FOREBODINGS' ' AUTHORITIES PREPARING FOE •CONTINGENCIES. (Rec. April 2, 11.45 p.m.) London, April 1. , 'The "Standard's" Dublin correspondent says that Ireland's Easter was heavily charged with forebodings. The authorities are: preparing for iany contingency. ' They have . strengthened tho Dublin . garrison and, - scattered extra troops throughout the .country. Warships have arrived at ,Belfast, but their purpose is' unknown. Raids against the oolico continue 1 in tha- provinces.'' A boipb .explosion wrecked Hie barracks at Clonully, in Tipperary. There were no casualties. A large party attacked tho barracks at Scartagla'n, in Cguuty Kerry, for three hours, with rifles and petrol explosive. The police returned a hot fi.ro with: rifles and grenades, and beat .the raiders off.—United Service., RAID,ERS ROB A TRAIN. , (Rec. April 2, 11.45 p.m.) • London,- April 1. ' Raiders held .up a train, near Limerick and stole .£2soo.—The "Times." POLICE BARRACKS WRECKED '(Rec. April. 2,'. 5.5 p.m.)' , London,'' March 31. : Between fifty ipul a hundred armed men ■ attacked, the police.barracks at Durrns at midnight; They .dropped petrol and explosives down a chimney, completely wvccking the building. .The sergeant and six constables di-ovo off the attackers. Two'of the polico'wcre. wonndrd, and one lost a hand and is in n critical 'condition. , —Aus.-N.Z. Cab,le Assn.