The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1886-03-02 00:00:00

Zorott enuntti Expos.
DORCHESTIM MARCH 2,cn, Ism

THE CABINET AND THE IRISH QUES-
TION.

Immediately after the present Miniatry eame into
power, there were conjectures made respecting their
supposed iatostion to bang up the main Irish question
that of Home Rule, and to proceed preferentially to
farther and final lees/Mice on the Land (Inertias,
in the hope, if ant of allaying the demand fee Parlia•
mentor, separsitioa, yet of settling the agrarian
question in a more satisfactory manner than could
perhaps be expected from an Irish Parliament. There
warn, bowevwt, an obvious weakness in this supposed
Umensuch as, however the British Parliament
might deal with tbe Irish Land Quintion, a separate
Irish Parliament could not afterwards be precluded
from re-opening a matter which would certainly come
under the category of specifically Irish business. Yet
the Premier'd published pka:for time to investigate
seemed a short time ago to lei..v some c. lour to the
amutuption that the principal Irish Question would be
shelved for the firemen session. Since then, however, I
Mr. Gladstone in one House, and Earl Granville in
the other, hare stated that toward* the end of March
or the beginning of April the Government would Is.
in a position to poisoned its Irish policy. A
journalist of Acute authority now amt.:obis belief that
at a Cabinet Council held Imt week the Government
had before it the Irish (Oration for the first time in •
complete and practical form. It is not surprising to
be told, however, that several CabineeCouncils mum
be hold before Ministers have arrived at • final
decision on the queatioua they are amselering thoogli
there is reason to believe that Mr. Gladstone'..
will be kept, and that he will be elite toçouiimunieate
to the House in the last week of March proposals
of the Government. At the mane time this journalist
adde that there is some ground for believing that the
Ministry will shed tsar or two of its memben before
that time arrive.. If this information is to be
accepted an authentic, the public should be prepared
for mein. a Homo Rule for Ireland Bill introduced
before Easter; but this prospect need not cause races.
sire *Wise on one side, or demotion on the other. It
would be surprising if Ministers were able to frame
• Home Rule measure which would be at once satis
factory to Irish Nations/isles and calculated to secure
the general support of the Liberal party. The
difficulty is not in framing • measure, but in framing
ens capable of being passed, If one or two of Mr.
Gladstone's colleagues in his present Radical Cabinet
may be expected to desert him on account of his Irish
policy, there is every probability that he will be
opposed by a considerable number of the moderate
Liberals. In spite .4 that, he might obtain • con.
sidenble numerical majority in favour of his measure;
but thie majority would be, perhaps, entirely due to
the Irish vote—that is, if that vote were eliminated,
there woe/if be a majority of British representatives
against the Got eminent. In that else, or in anything
approaching to it, it about,' be anticipated that the
jeers would take upon themselves to reject the Bill,
especially after the semen attending their independent
treatment .4 the Framthise Bill. They might very
plausibly allege that this question of lloine Rule fur
Ireland was not mibmitted to the judgment .4 British
electors at the General Election, mei thst it was a
fa‘ltor uPols which such judgment 51.....1.1 be Allll4l.
Ho that, after all, we are out likely to a 'scheme
.4 111~ Role carried until the Britidt electors have
pronounced in favour of it. If they should, however,
do so, there would be no room for further Parlia.
mentary opposition. The existing ommituencies may
not be the best and most intelligent tribunal for the
decision if & very difficult and complicated quest' ,
and it would be only amusing to imagine the average
British elector called mon to deal with the details of
a Home Rule project. But he would lase uothing to
&with these. He WIIUIII lolly be called upon to declare
whether he approved the general jeinciple of a
measure prommed by one set of British statesmen, and
owned by another. It IVOIIIII be a que.tion of eon
Wenn. in experts on this side or that: and chin Gist
qneetion was decided, we should 51100 have a settle.
inent of the Home Rule question iii me way or other
40,outly to be de.inA for the
of peace And order in both Great lb iton and
Ireland.