THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 1912. HOME RULE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10606, 12 April 1912, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 1912. HOME RULE.

Hie question which, above all others, will occupy the .minds of British Statesmen during the next fewmonths will bo that of Home Rule for Ireland. The question has been before the natioin for years; but it-bias mow, through -a remarkable concatenation of circumstances, arrived at a stage -when Parliament muist decide ifoi' good and all. Ireland is agitated j (to the -point of avc-uteiiess; England is divided; Scotland and Wales are Avatching the iprogress of events with the keenest anxiety. What will the end be? Six months ago Mr Winston lOhiiiTihiil went to ..Belfast, almost at llbhe risk of Ms life, to meet the opponents of Home Rule in their own stronghold. -Sir Bouar Law -has followed, and Okis aroused the people to a piteli- of the greatest enthusiasm. ®here is intense excitement at the iprospects of the next few mouths. The people of Ulster, whether rightly or wrongly, are up in arms, and the country is seething with dissension. The full reports of Mr Winston Ohm-chill's speech' 'at Belfast- is just ito hand. They show that the quesiron df Hfimo Rule was dealt with ,in

a, cleai' ana concise maniKsr. Every point of objection was approached in a masterly, if not always l convincing mlanncr. "For our part," ho said, "we look forward to a time which has been Jong retarded, and which wo beSieve is now netvr, when this island, instead of being a disruptive force in the -British Empire, ehail 'be transformed into a. new centre of union—j when the harsh and lam.entia.ble cry taf reproach which has so long jarred I mipcm the concert of the Empire will | die away, when the /accursed nvaohin- ! ery by which hatred is manufactured and preserved will be broken for ever (cheers), and when, from every coun- 1 try where our language and institu-! Ition® are established, 'hands will b<y joined across the seas in peace and 'cordiality." Proceeding, Mr Churchill dwelt at length .upon the demands ! made upon the time and energy of the British Parliament. He said: "There i,s only one thing Ave can do. We anusb divide our business up into Imperial business affecting the Empire ; and .the limited Kingdom as a. whole, and internal and local business affecting particularly each of its component parte. Then thero will be plenty of tiime for both (another suffragist interruption and ejection), and every | teubject can. be dealt with fully and . in. the proper place." That, the case of Ireland stands in a different position to 'that of other parts of the Empire was recognised. "On historical grounds," said Ma- Churchill, "if on fto cither, it is- clear that the same measure and the same form which would be applicable to Scotland or to Wales would not be applicable to the 1 needs of Ireland (cheers). But any I plan which we put forward for Irish ! Hiomo Rule will be an integral part of and fit consistently into the general scheme of parliamentary devolution, and will not be out of harmony with the design of the ultimate federation of the Empire (cheers)." Mr Churchill assured his hearerte tliat there iwould ,be no room for religious intolerance in Home Rule, and he stated that the following additional ramparts will be maintained: — Firstly, the Crown will be able to refuse assent to an unjust Bill. Secondly, the Imperial Parliament will. be able to- repeal such a Bill or enact another law., , . Thirdly, *,t!he *Hojnde/RiAe' •• Biiiwill coiitain provisions 'safeguarding religrious freedom ; and ifair play forjboth Protestants and Roman ClathoMcs.' . Fourthly, if any law passed in Ireland. transgresses the limit laid down by the Home !Rtu.le Act, then the Privy Council will be able to declare it void. Fifthly, the Horn® Ifcuile will /be worked in the fee© of Great Britain, as well as Ireland. The Imperial Parliament; is overwhelmingly Protestant, and would certainly resent any ■attempt to act in a spirit of religious .intolerance or unfairness. Sixthly, the power of Imperial Parliament to interfere is unquestioned in law, and equally unquestioned in fact, for all forces will bo under the Imperial control. .' • After dealing with the financial, aspect of the question, Mr Churchill concluded in. the- following te-nms: — "Ah! gentlemen, let us contemplate for one moment thp consequences to Ireland of another failure, the depressioh, .the. despair, the awful haituß in the mind and spirit and intellect of the nation. Ulster, ,we should be tfcld, had triumphed, triumphed,triumphed over what? THumphed.fover, the dearest aspirations of their--own fellow-countrymen, and what is to happen then ? Tho Unionist party, by the manner in which they have approved and preached doctrines of violence and lawlessness in the last few weeks, (cries'of "Name!") have disqualified themselves for ever from governing Ireland (loud cheers). Tho flame of irieh nationality is inextinguishable (cheers). The quarrel will go on here and all over the world. '1 appeal, I say, to the Unionist Party and to Imperialists in our colonies, and. I appeal to Ulster, Protestant Ulster itself—and though mv words •may be scorned by many, they can' be judged by all—J appeal to Ulster •to step forward with noble courage and by a supreme act of generosity and public spirit to win the great prize of Irish peace -for themselves and the world."