The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-11-02
The Unholy Alliance.
from the Dublin Nation.l


Amongst the many threats projected
against Irish! Home Rulers from the col
umns of tho English press, there is just
one design distinguishable from the mass
of vague unrealities as sufficiently tangible
and definite to repay critical examination.
We are threatened with coalition Of
Wings and Tories, league of Ministerial
lists and their opponents, combination
of heterogeneous elements such as never
before was witnessed in the history of Par
lament The grand object of the alliance
is to crush the schemes Of the Home Rule
party, and for the more efectual accom-
plshment of that purpose it is proposed
that the law and practice of Parliament
should be revolutionised, and the whole
system of constitutional government over
turned. No ministry should be expected
to resign when defeated through the help
of the Irish vote, and no party to accept
Office when the Treasury Benches are
brought within their reach by tho action OF
the Home Rulers.
This is the programme with which, for
want of something more substantial, the
London editors are solacing themselves
under the depression caused by the pro-
gress of the National cause in Ireland.
The Home Rale movement may grow In
strength and power, it may gather to Itself
the forces and array round 1t the influences
which the statesman is bound to respect
and defer to; but there is the notable
scheme in reserve of the virtual disfranch-
isement of Ireland wherein to find temper
airy consolation. And very pretty plan
it would be, highly effective beyond doubt,
ifit were in the smallest degree practicable,
or were not so thoroughly impossible of
realization as it actually is. 1t may seem
cruel to apply hard practical test to an
illusion SO affectionately cherished and so
potentially harmless as this is, but we have
no room for phantasies of the kind in our
sfon Of ro1ifico1 oyiotonra LET
US see, then, how the proposed arrange.
ment would work, or rather how it would
not work, in the domain of realities. 1t is
the Tories who talk most about it. Let
US suppose that in four months or six
months time Mr.. Gladstone's administration
Home Rule members, infamed by some
new Coercion bill, or Indignant at some
ministerial announcement against Home
Rule, had voted, as they may do, with the
majority. The situation forecast by the
Standard would then have exactly come to
course of action the Tories would be bound
to resist the allurements of office. The Co
vernment would have been defeated by the
Irish vote, and the Opposition would be
bound on the principles now laid down to
refuse to take advantage of such contln-
gency. But would the Opposition do SO
Does anyone in his senses believe that in
such case the Tories would dream of such
exalted abnegation 2 What would then
become of the Nolo Episcopari of the Stan.
dard Do We not know perfectly we'll
that what the Tories would do is to seize
on the loaves and fishes with scream of
delight, to scramble into the Treasury in
breathless exultstion, and to scatter all
their theories about disregarding the Irish
vote to the winds of Heaven Quickly, in
deed, would the policy now recommended
be forgotten quickly would the Standard
discover that, however far the Wings
might be bound by such considerations,
the Conservatives were in no way com NIT
ted to SO gross a departure from the esta-
blished rules of Parliamentary procedure.
Or it would argue that in helping to rout
Mr.. Gladstone the Irish members were not
acting factiously at all, but were perform
ing q deed of patriotism which, so far from
exposing them to the disabilities involved
in the Reputation of their votes, deserved
for them the loftiest commentator. But
to one thing the Standard and it's party
would be sure to stick. They would hold
like grim death to the Treasury benches,
and the Conservative who would then
breach the notion of abandoning the spoils
of Office because the Irish vote had torn
them from the Wings, would be denounced
as q mailman or traitor. So far, the
failure which would overtake any attempt
to carry out the insolent menace at pre-
sent employed against the Home Rulers is
-ONlOCubs LOU US bIdCS lbs ldGS d llGUt0
further. Suppose, again, that the Irish re-
prese9 tatives, incensed by the bigotry and
stupid h ostilities of the Tories, had turned
their votes against them, and given Mr.. Dis
raeli and his party a lesson by defeating them
on a motion involving their retention of
Office. No doubt the Standard would cla-
mour very loudly then against the iniquity
of allowing Irish members to make and
unmake Ministers, and all its lofty reason
ing about Coalition of loyalists would
promptly come back to it's recollection.
But who would heed it Certainly not
the Wings, jubilant over the defeat of their
adversaries. and at their own return to
place aud power. The Daily Telegraph
would not be slow to remind the Tory
organ of Its obliviouness of the policy of |
ignoring the Irish vote when the Censer-
natives were helped in office nor would
itibe. backward in showing that the Home |
Rulers, in dethroning the hereditary enc.
mics of their country, had acted on imper
ial considerations, and had behaved, in |
fact, in this particular instance, in the most |
consistent and praiseworthy fashion. Is
not this, we ask, what would be certain to
And what then TyoOld hacoma IF tho