THE HOME RULE BILL IN THE LORDS

New Zealand Tablet, 20 March 1913, Page 51

THE HOME RULE BILL IN THE LORDS

In the debate on the Second Beading of the Home Rule Bill in the House of Lords the Earl of Dunraven said he should support the Bill, because he believed that the adoption of the principle of devolution was necessary to any scheme for drawing together the component parts of the Empire. He hoped the House would not adopt an attitude of sterile negation towards the underlying principle of the Bill, lie invited the House to consider the vast change for tne better which had taken place ; n Ireland since Home Rule was last before them. Thanks very largely to beneficent legislation passed by the Unionists, there was to-day a new Ireland. Land Purchase had changed the face of the country. In England Parliamentary institutions had been degraded and party politics had degenerated into mere opportunism. The whole machine . of party government had broken down, and it was impossible for Parliament to deal with the multifarious mass of business that came before it. Unless the principle of relegation to subordinate bodies was adopted, the Government would fall into the hands of an irresponsible oligarchy. Until the question of Home Rule was settled they could never have a contented Ireland and a free and unfettered Parliament. He had come to the conclusion that the grant of Home Rule would not entail calamity or injustice. He maintained that the people of Ireland were not disloyal. They were discontented with a form of government which had been forced upon them against their will, and over which they had no control. .It was within the power of Parliament to remove the causes of discontent and produce in Ireland equally beneficial results to those which had followed the extension of Self-government in Canada. Admitted that the Bill was an experiment, he contended that it was worth trying. The consequences of failure could not be calamitous, and the prospects of success were good. Religious animosity had been

Fanned Into an Unnatural Flame.

Irish Catholics were the most tolerant people on earth, and the Protestants of the North, in any event, could take care of themselves. The idea of two nations in Ireland was a purely British invention, and it was untrue to say that the people of the North had a monopoly of enterprise and energy. Ireland, as a whole, was almost feverishly anxious to re-create her industries and to foster and develop those she now possessed. It would be inconsistent for an Irisi Parliament to do anything to impede that progress. While he was in favor of Home Rule, he had nothing very favorable to say of the present Bill, and he was sure it could not lead to a satisfactory permanent settlement of the question. It did not provide sufficient checks upon legislation, and the measure was not constructed on Federal lines. If the Bill became law it would have to be repealed, because it was an absolute bar to Federalism. Why should they not endeavor to get a settlement by consent? If they accepted the bedrock principle of Devolution, he thought it would be possible, by means of a conference, to arrive at an agreement. - Lord Mac Donnell suggested alterations should be made in the financial provisions of the Bill such as would satisfy those members of the House who had no rooted objections to the creation of a subordinate Parliament m Ireland. An urgent necessity existed for a substantial reform in the system of Irish government Ever since the rejection of Mr. Gladstone's Home Rule Bill there had been an admission, sometimes tacit, but always an admission, that everything was not well with the state of government in Ireland. The student of Constitutional history would admit that in every pro-perly-organised State there were four divisions—legislative, judicial, financial, and administrative. What was the condition of Ireland in regard to these four divisions? They all knew Ireland had no legislative division. By recognising the Irish claims to a subordinate Legislature the House would be taking an effective step towards a reform most necessary in the

interests of all parts of the Empire. The judicial division of Irish Government worked efficiently. The financial division had no responsibility, and the administrative division comprised 46 Boards and Departments over which the Government had no effective control whatever. The necessity of a change in the Irish Government had not been recognised until recent times by all parties in the State, but no change which failed to introduce the representative element had the least chance of success. Only allow Irishmen of all,classes and creeds to come together, and give them important work to do in the interest of their country and" the Empire, and they would be surprised at the splendid work that would be done. The Bill came before them from the House of Commons with an overwhelming majority at its back, and it ought not to be rejected without most careful examination.