[ICHAEL DAVITT AND THE IRISH PROBLEM.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1980, 17 March 1885, Page 4

[ICHAEL DAVITT AND THE IRISH PROBLEM.

leif follow me ill ° Miehiel Dawtt's >ws.i> to "How t!ic Anglo Imh pio2tn ould be Sohn.l, 1 as set foitli in im-cnt woik, "Le.ues from a I'nson ary : '— I ill venture to outline a scheme ot :il mil n.it-oiwl self go\ eminent wind), )clk-w, would command the Mippoit of 10 inajonty of the lusli people at home i.l ibro.ul, nl which would j)rol>ablj ct lye a 111 1. 1 ti ial .it tho hands of the c\,.,nhtx though iU opeiation would nn)til teilly In watched with a jealous eye 1 the. til -t pi ice, theie should bo ts>tdb »hed in Inlind i system of county $<•> Miun"iit, l>y ini.uis of ckctive boaids, to ke the plac of th" existing nnu-presen itne aii'l piacti^illy iiuspousible guvncl ty sy->tem Tlie functions of sue!) >,mk should be moio comprehensive i,i,i thou iviei-ol by the giaud juries Di example, in addition to the duty of lministenng puiely county business, iese bonds should be permitted to uti.itc mea-aues of general application— ich as schemes of arterial drainage. aniwajs, lailw.iys, canals, docks, harouis, and similar enterprises, which ould be of more than local importance nd ehaiaeter. Such schemes, after being illy discussed by these elective bodies, ould be submitted to the National ssenibly to be subsequently described. 'hen the county boards should control he police within the county, and appoint ht magistrates, and be cntiiely responible foi the predication of law and i dor. Further, should the land problem c justly and satisfactory solved on the im»s of national piopuctavy, the duty of s'-co'-in;' and collecting the land tax \uuld naturally devolve upon the county oaids. winch, deducting what was neces aiy for the expenses of county oveinment, would remit the balance to he n itional Exchequer. In fact, the bjeet of such a system should be to onstitnto each county, as far as pracloable, a self governing community, lamteitly any system of local self-go-rpimw nt for Ireland involves a correslondin" one of national self government s it* n.itmal and inevitable complement. \> txtuidthe pi me pie of local »clf-go-f'liimeut at all in li eland without radi:ally changing the system ot Castle rule v ould only haAethe effect of increasing he fiiction aheady existing between the icople and their ruleis. Hence it is .bsolutely necessary that legislation for lational «elf government should go hand n hand with any scheme for the creation >t elective county boards. I am well iwaie that the hope is indulged in some juai teis that the inclusion of Ireland in a {ciiei.il measmc of county government, \ itli tho sop of an Irish Pailiamentary Jiand t'ommittec thiown in, will suilice ;o choke oil the demand fm lushlegia ati« c independence ; but Knglish statesnen need not delude themselves with ho nli n tint any biicli Westminster ex)tdient will satisfy the genius of Irish lationality. There could be established .1 Dublin a National Assembly, comtosed of elected members fiom the con.titucncics of lieljad, who should pro.cod to the administration of all Irish ifl\ii> in the manner which obtains in L-olounl I'ailidments, excepting the sub Btitutiou of one for two Chambeis heio pjopoafd Tliat is to say, tlie repn'sentative of the Ciown in luland would call upon some munVr ot the National Assembly to foim a (Jo\einmei.t. the difft-ront members of « Inch should lie constitatofl the heads of the \aiious boards, which at [«i sent arc practically ii responsible bin iauu acies ;~ but which, under the B\.stem heic proposed, would become ikputinciits ot a popular Government, ainl open to the supervision of the people tlnou^'h the National Assembly. Such a Co\"eininfnt, sul)ject to the control of tin governed through their elected repn'Uitatnts, would be the practical solution of the Angio-lu-h difficulty. It would be but the common definition of constitutional rule cuncd into practice, It would, as aheady remarked, be the application to misgoveimd and unfor tunat^ Ireland, of a Constitution kindivd to that which British statesmanship has since granted, wisely and wdl, to a consequently peaceful and contented Canada. Certainly if a similar act of politicial justice and sound policy does not solve the Irish difficulty, nothing less will. What possible danger could lO.igl.uid run from such an application of constitutional rule to a couutry much nearer to the centre of Imperial power than Canada. But what a benefit, Tit change for Ii eland— nay, what a relief to Kngland herself— would be involved in su< h an act of simple political jusuce ?