THE ENGLISH DEMOCRACY AND HOME RULE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1543, 10 August 1886, Page 3

THE ENGLISH DEMOCRACY AND HOME RULE.

The following manifesto, addressed to ;r , “ The Soria of Toil and Artiaaria of Efgland,” signed by Mr Joseph Arch, M.P., and Mr Joseph Leicester, M.P., and . approved of by the other labor M.P.’s, waa issued dining the elections : Fellow workers and brothers— A great and momentous crisis in onr his ton and common weal has been precipitated ‘ by the result of the recent division on th<* : Government of : lreland Bill. The scheme proposed by Mr Gladstone, the greatest ’ of English statesmen and philanthropists, has been temporarily overthrown by a ; cjbmbin'ation of open Tory foes and " Whig rind so-called Radical seceders. The consequence is an appeal to the ultimate tribunal of the people’s voice, v which, is to speak at the forthcoming elections. ‘Frillow workriien and brothers—Wit yon rests chiefly the broad issues to h decided' The voice of the people is ih voice of God,- arid, therefore,' the vote of freedom, justice, and right. Th t - voice asserted itself at the last general election, six months ago, clear and ' trumpet-tongued, when a Tory adminisheld out to you a policy of no coercion, all fair without, like Dead Sea fipit; but, whin tasted and tested, it turned to ashes on (he lips in their proposed repressive measures to govern the ... lister isle. Repressive legislation is their congenial policy. Now, do not be deceived by the false issues presented by. the hulk of the Lon- . don press, md'the spirit of lying which it abroad. An unholy alliance, tacit or understood, has baen established between the Tories—the traditional opponents of - your franchises and liberties—and the

Whigs and professed Radicals like Lord Harrington, and Messrs Chamberlain, Trevelyan, Goichen. snd their satellites. It is as clear >• the noonday light that the alternative achemve. propounded by This heterogeneous opposing host, re'pre-

; Muting the privileged class and their > hangers-on, are contradictory, illusory, f and unacceptable to nine-tenths of the ‘ Irish nation, and we believe to the British democracy also. Why, then, should you vote for; (hose representing policies which are unacceptable and unstable as water ] Butlet us suppose for a moment that you were to give yoor suffrages to the Veeceders from the clearly defined and truly Liberal policy of the veteran statesman whose long life has been devoted with fruitful results to the enlargement of your liberties, and, indeed, those ef mankind—suppose such an unlikel contingency were to occur, where would you be stranded? Would a Government of . wonders of the type of Lord Hartington and Mr Chamberlain be possible? We [emphatically answer no. Lord Harting>ton is opposed to Home Rule altogether, . whilst Mr. Chamberlain, after throwing 1 overboard provincial councils, adopts a ' federal scheme of local government. To . this )st|cr plan even Mr Bright is ‘ strenuously hostile. On the other hand, Mr Trevelyan battles for provincial councils. What a pandemonium Cabinet , these eecedera from the Liberal camp l l would form should (he misfortune arise v that you should by your votes laud them ■ in power, or rather land them in office

t . and impotsncy I r Therefore ..the of the coming battle is clear and decisive. It is not as to whether you shall have Mr Gladstone or the Hartingtous and Chamberlains. It ia aa to whether you shall ha*re Mr Gladstone or Lo-d Salisbury to guide the Shipof State. Lord Salisbury and the 'Tories are making catspaws of the seoeders to dividethe Liberal and Radical . .. ranks, and thus climb Into office and power. • Fellow workmen, be not Ted away by the crafty shibboleths of union, unity of the. empire, separation, and such like. ,' The British Empire is not dismembered pot disintegrated, but strengthened and /. consolidated by having twentv-threa Home Role Parliaments. Why'should I , not Ireland make a twenty.fourth ? Ikfr '. Gladstone's plan would produce the true

union—a union of hearts between the

English and Irish peoples as against the union’ of. anarchy, distrust, and hate, maintained by bayonets and coercion for iri the last eighty-six years. Lord Salisbury would have a co»-

tinuance of this hateful system for

twenty years longer, and ho advocates '" ; "th‘e Exportation from tfieir native land to ... '|he wilds of Manitoba of a million or two qf Irishman. Such is nbt the policy of * tv : peace, progress*. or mutual advantage, . It ia high time that -decentralisation ■ |ho.iild take place, and that the people qf : England without lot or hindrance;: . attend to the ever increasing arrears of - English legislation, , Tho«e ? whp inff nbi

with Mr Gladstone and his comrades are playing into the bands of the Tories. Under whose banner, then, will you rally—the banner of Gladstone, the hero of a hundred fights, the champion of liber'y, of the people’s cans# and the public peace, or the banner of Lord Salisbury, the upholder of class privileges an opposed to popular rights, the enemy to your recent franchise, the coereionist, and the would-be exterminates of millions of the horny-handed sons of toil from their motherland, to make way for flocks and herds ? These are the two banners under which yon are called to do battle. Do not falter in following our great and hitherto successful loader, Mr Gladstone, in the coming contest. Through your support at the polling booths victory will sit on his helm, the Irish difficulty will be solved, a true and lasting union established, with mutual benefit, between C»iea* Britain and Ireland, and increased utility added to our empire.