MR BRIGHTS ALTERNATIVE PLAN.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2385, 28 August 1886, Page 2

MR BRIGHTS ALTERNATIVE PLAN.

Mr Bright speaking at a meeting in the Burraingham Town Hall recently, ridiculed the idea of the Irish members being brought over here to disouss Imperial questions only, and ho propounded his alternative to a Home Rule Bill"1 once had a long conversation'with Mr A. M. Sullivan, and-1 suggested what appeared to me to meet the difficulty which well disposed and loyal Irishmen like Mr Sullivan felt What they wanted; was that the Irish'representation should have a very direct influence upon whatever legislation passed Parliament, they wished that there should be a- controlling poirei' ..in the House of Commons 'tor take eare that only that which was «sht &ed juai

should'be done in this .matter, He was very mucH interested in "it, ; and seemed tojjthink that a proposition like that sub* niittodio Parliame»Und guVmitted to 1mYou ar« aware.th»t there areCpresent 103 membera .from Irelaridintlie'Hoaaeof.Gmamona atWeatminiafer. 'I willflpealc ctfgL at 'a hundred'which is' thViiumber t® wa» established by tH& Act of Union, which 1 think ought to hay.e beon adhered to. There are a hundred members, I would form those hundred members for Ireland into a Committee that would be known and called as the Committee oh Ireland or for Ireland, I would say that any Bill, which any member of the House ot Cora* .nwns brought in and proposed, should be read a first time as a matter .of coJfSo, as all bills aro in the House oflordkand ai they goneraUy are in the House of Commons. but when it is read a first time it should be referred to the Committee for Ireland. This Committee would have a proper place of meeting about the Palace of Westnunißter, and they wonld appoint their own chairman; or if they.liked they might- have the Irish Secretary ut their Chairman, but probably they would appoint their own chhirman among their ownnumbor. They, would take the Bill as the Chairman cf the House of Commons takes a Bill now. The Chairman would read it over clauao by cUubb, but the hundred Irish'members would make any alteration thoy ploaae, would strike ~ out kny clause, would amond aogtelauae, and would put in any clause tliemfought was suitable, and- by &' majoni/' they would decide whether the Bill waa aeiepfrable to them, and whether it was in » condition to present to the Houso. No English or Scotch member will be present to tako any part in it, L When the Bill came down to the' House for report I would propose that it should not bfL'Sbjected to a second roading, but «s|rii should be merely subjected to what it called report-that is, tho intermediate stage between the second and third reading. But I would set rid of the second reading and proceed to the report, on which members of .the House, Irish o? English, might, if they ".chose, move amendments and get up some disoussioo. When the Bill had.passed through the tfage of .report it would 30 immediately to the shira reading, and I-ahould expect tlwt in a greao mnjofity of oases a bill would have a very excellent chance of being read a third time and going forward. I believe that if the Irish members wore loyal and behaved loyally the whole Parliament would be willing.to defer to a very large extent to the . opinions of the Irish Committee, a'nd to* accept the measures which thoy bad disouwed and agreed upon... X.et us try, evere one of tile unexhausted rceiiorecs ,of' elvilmtwo before we capitulate to one.oif tie wore* conspiracies that over afflicted any c«jhtoy---