THE KILMAINHAM TREATY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1754, 6 August 1884, Page 2

THE KILMAINHAM TREATY.

During a debate in the House of Commons recently on the Kilmainiiam treaty for the extension of the country franchise to Ireland, Mr Gladstone pointed out that for ten years back the Liberals had been endeavoring to put the Irish franchise on an equal footing with that'of Great Britain, so that it was most unjust to invent a new Kilmainiiam treaty to account for the inclusion of Ireland in this Bill.' In the belief of the Government, there was but one course which would tend to reconcile the feelings and sympathies of the Irish people with the " Invisibles," and that course would, beflh deny the advantages of the UnioPro the Irish people. Narrowing the franchise was not a protection agaiagt revolution, as the Government of LouSr Phillipe of France has proved. He ventured (says the Spectator) even to rejoice that Ireland would not subnit to be treated on a footing of inequality in the Union: and it seems to him absurd, as well as ungenerous, to grudge the Irish equal representative privileges 'on the plea that tf they used-them they would force on dsssolution of the Union. Great Britain was quite strong enough to hold her own against Ireland, even if Ireland were all against us; but there was one other item which bore weight in the ; scale; " Let us be as strong in right ,as we are in population, in wealth, and in historic traditions, and we shall' not fear to do juatice to Ireland.":