The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-12-26 00:00:00

IRELAND AND HONE RIME.

MR. GLADSTONE'S SCHEME OF CON-
CESSION.

Towards the end of last week, the Standard pub-
lished the outline of a scheme of Home Rulo for
Ireland, which, it averred, had been formulated by
Mr. Gladstone some time ago, in view of the question
arising for inevitable settlement by the new Parlia-
ment. On the same day, the Pall Mall Gazette con-
firmed the statement of its contemporary, whilst the
version of a responsible news agency was as follows:
—"Mr. Gladstone has definitely adopted the policy
of Home Rule for Ireland, and there are well-founded •
hopes that he will win over the chief representatives
of the moderate section of the party to his views.
Lord Spencer is practically convinced that no other
policy is possible, and his authority as the Minister
who has governed Ireland during a most troublous
time is unimpeachable. There are only two alterna-
tives—coercion and conciliation. Coercion has been
ide well-nigh impossible by the action of the Tories,
its chief champions; and in no circumstances will the
Liberal party ever consent to exceptional repressive
legislation for Ireland again. Conciliation can be
effectual on one condition—the support of Mr. Parnell,
and this would be granted only to a measure for the
establiehinent of a Parliament in Dublin. Mr.
Gladstone is fully aware of the necessity of guarantee 3
for the adequate protection of the minority in Ire-
land. It is not unlikely that Mr. Parnell would con-
sent to a system of proportional representation; and
in any case the position of the landlords would be
thorouebly discussed and safeguarded by the new Act.
It is not intended to exclude the Irish party from the
House of Commons. They would still share in the
deliberations of the British Parliament in Imperial
affairs. Nor does Mr. Gladstone propose to give the
Parliament at Westminster any veto on the proceed-
ings of the Parliament at Dublin. Such a veto will
be exercised by the Crown only on the advice of the
Irish Ministry. It is not expected that there would
be any necessity to revise the Acts of the Dublin Par-
liament with regard to the commercial relations
between the two countries. Mr. Parnell's suggestion
of a protective tariff does not meet with the approval
of all his colleagues; and if it were carried out, the
first to suffer would be the Irish people."
Upon being communicated with as to the authen-
ticity of the above, the ex-Premier telegraphed to
London that the statement was unauthorised and in-
accurate. Commenting on this, the Pull Mall Gazette
had the following on Friday evening The political
world is vibrating this morning with rumours of all
kinds on the momentous news from Hawarden, of
which the Standard received a hint and of which we
published a full account yesterday. The question
still before the public is this: Is or is not the state-
ment which appeared in our columns and elsewhere a
fair representation of Mr. Gladstone's decision on the
general question of Home Rule in the first place, and
of the broad outlines, in the second, of the scheme to
which he is giving his most favourable consideration?
No one, of course, is so foolish as to expect the pre-
cision of an Act drafted for introduction iato Parlia-
ment on statements which filter, so to speak, through
many quarters, before they receive the confirmation
of a responsible press. As we never said that
we published our statement either with Mr. Glad-
stone's knowledge and authority, or that he had ever
authorised the publication of any other beyond his
own public declarations,' the telegram of disclaimer
does not affect us. On the contrary, it indirectly
confirms the general accuracy oc. our assertion, if
that had not been true, Mr. Gladstone would have
telegraphed as Lord Spencer does, "No scheme of
Home Rule has received my approval," although even
that leaves the door open to Lord Spencer to Fay
a.f tereards, "I never approved any precise or particu-
lar scheme; but I fully concurred in the belief that
sonic scheme of Home Rule has now become inevit-
able." But Mr. Gladstone does not even make Lord
bpencer's disclaimer. Indeed, the basis of our infor-
mation was such that it is in the highest degree im-
probable that Mr. Gladstone would be compelled to
do snore than disclaim, in this way, any particuler
point which had grown or been interpolated
in transmission. A glance at the best informed
provincial journals this morning shows how
strong is the general conviction that the news of yes-
terday was substantially true. The London corre-
spondent of the Manchester Guardian describes as
"the most prominent feature of current politics Mr.
Gladstone's adhesion to the principle and policy of
Home Rule for Ireland." The correspondent of the
Sheffield Independent— perhaps the best informed
London journalist in many matters—says that, with
one important modification, "the Pall Mall Gazette
has got the right sow by the ear," and "in truth
there is now nowhere any doubt, not only that he has
taken in hand this great work of pacifying Ireland,
but that be has advanced some considerable degree
with it." The Liverpool Post says: "Mr. Gladstone,
in guarded terms, points out that he has not authorised
the publication of the particulars alluded to, and
throws some doubt upon their exact accuracy, but
there is good reason to believe that the views put
forward its our columns yesterday do not in any
material particular differ from those adopted with a
view to legislation by Mr. Gladstone. Moreover,
a Chester ccrreepondent telegraphs that it is
a significant circumstance, as indicating the feeling
at Hawarden Castle on Home Rule for Ireland,
that Canon Mac Coll, who was the guest of Mr. Glad-
stone on Sunday last, 'preached on the subject in
Hawarden Church. The Canon advocated a large-
banded, generous policy towards Ireland, which he
declared had been one of the worst governed countries
in Europe." The correspondent of the Liverpool
Mercury telegraphs that Mr. Gladstone's limited dis-
claimer" does not affect in the slightest degree the
accuracy of the announcement that he is prepared to
propose to establish a central body in Dublin dealing
with Irish affairs. This is not a matter of specula-
tion, but of absolute knowledge, grounded upon
authoritative information." We therefore venture to
repeat with renewed confidence our statements of
yesterday, subject of course to any specific corrections
Mr. Gladstone may be pleased to make.
Anything more than such eorrections of
details, we have the best grounds for believing, will
not be published. The London correspondent of the
Western Daily Mercury writes: I am able to affirm
that some of the Irish officials are strongly in favour
of a much more advanced reform of Irish government
than commends itself to the majority of Lord Salis-
bury's colleagues. The proposal attributed to Lord
Carnarvon really originated with Sir Robert Hamil-
ton, Permanent -Under Secretary for Ireland. He
has been for some time convinced that a drastic
change was necessary, and that the Irish suffered a
real hardship from the practical exclusion of the
national representatives from the administration of
their affairs. Such an opinion, held by one of the
most trusted officials of the Irish Executive, naturally
had great weight with Lord Carnarvon, and led bins
to propose a scheme which was strongly supported in
the Cabinet by Lord Randolph Churchill, who, how-
ever, was completely over-ruled.
In a telegram to the Central News Mr. Gladstone,
referring to the desire expressed for more explicit in-
formation, said: " From my public declarations at
Edinburgh with respect to the Government you will
easily see I have no communications to make.—Gen-
STONE." In this telegram the late Premier adverted
to his West Calder speech, in which he referred to
Mr. Parnell's advice that he should frame a plan of
local government for Ireland, and thereupon said:
"I believe Mr. Parnell :must have taken' me to be
very much wanting in experience of public life, or not,
perhaps, to have profited by the experience I have
had, because that experience teaches me that if I
were so rash as to make myself the volunteer phy-
sician of the people of Ireland instead of those autho-
rieed doctors whom sl e is going to send by and by
to the Rouse of Commons, I should not only exhibit
myself in a capacity I do not wish to fill before
the public, but I should seriously damage
any proposal which might have been hatched in
any mind. lam not in the Government of the coun-
try. If any great constitutional question arises with
respect to the government of Ireland, and if a pro-
posal has to be made, that proposal can only be made
effectively by the Government of the country, and
although the Government of the country has been
rather silent upon this subject and appears to be
most disinclined to use any language that might
put them for a moment in less easy relations
with the party from over the Channel, to whom
they owe so much in the transactions of the last Par-
liament. If they continue to be the Government of
the country any rational man in opposition will re-
quire to hear what they have got to say upon the sub-
ject before making up his own mind.' The Central
News was in a position to state, on Saturday, that
Lord Hartington had not approved of any Home
Rule proposals even in the most modified form. The
position of Mr. Goschen was precisely similar, and he
had not diverged from the line which he laid down in
his recent speeches at Edinburgh, and sufficiently
known by a reference to those addresses.

The Dublin correspondent of the Central News,
telegraphing on Sunday night, said: The announce-
ment regarding a Home Rule scheme promulgated by
the Irish Loyal Union of Great Britain created not a
little surprise and apprehension both in Ireland and
elsewhere. For the moment it was unnoticed that
the scheme was stated to be the work of the Irish
Loyal Union of Great Britain, a body which was en-
tirely unknown to publicity till to-day, and people
generally credited the Irish Loyal and Patriotic
Union with it. It is now authoritatively denied
that the proposal either emanated from or had
any connection whatever with the latter union,
upon the leaders of which it came as a complete sur-
prise. It was rumoured to-day that the proposal was
not the work of any distinct body at all. The Irish
Loyal and Patriotic Union have no intention whatever
of promulgating any such scheme of Home Rule or
moving in the direction indicated. The association is
at present being reformed, and in the future its opera-
tions will be continued on a far larger scale. Hitherto
nothing but electioneering work has been done by the
union, and Ulster has been outside the scope of its
operations. The association will henceforth be
the centre of all loyalist efforts in Ireland,
and will operate in the four provinces. The
platform will be so broad than men of all
creeds and parties can join, and a stronger
effort than ever will be made to maintain the
union in its integrity. Amongst the objects to be im-
mediately dealt with are the establishment of central
offices in Dublin and London and the organisation of
the entire Unionist forces. A guarantee fund has
been opened, and the proposal for future action has
received a large support. The apProachine crisis has