New-York tribune., 1885-09-20
MR.. PARNELL'S PROJECT.
HIS DEMAND FOR AN IRISH PARLIAMENT
WILL HE GET IT.

Mr. Parnell has made up his mind that now or
never Is his time, and has flung down his gage of
battle to the English Ministry, Parliament. and
People He has given notice to all whom it may
concern that he has taken his coat off in earnest
that the day of small thines-Land Acts of 1881
and the like is past, and that ireland has now to
demand, and England to concedc. simply the right
of the Irish to govern themselves. Ills words in
Dublin this week are:
We desire nothing moro than to place it within
the power of the people of Ireland to govern them
selves and manage their own affairs, and when we
have restored to you your Parliament it will be
possible for you to discuss and thresh out every
question"
The resolution Mr.. Pa-ne has taken il mo-
mentous one. 1t is probably based on his belief
that tho next Parliament will be the most Radical
convened in EnglInd. likely in his time to
he convened, and that he has better chance of oI-
tOrting what he wants from that body than from
any future assembly. He believes, moreover, that
he is 10 hold .he balance of power in the House of
Commons, and it is upon this factor in the problem
that his calculation tu"ns. He will appear IN that
House with compact following of, according to
his estimate, eighty or eghty-fve Irish members,
and on that point there is no TO question the
accuracy of his estimate. He will direct the whole
Irish vote in every English constituency to be
this way to reduce the sure Liberal preponderance
in the next House to a number less than that of the
Irish members. Then. by allying himself with the
Tories he can turn ont any Liberal Government. or
even prevent the formation of n Liberal Ministry.
lie will be in n position to exact his own terms from
the Torres, because these also he can turn ont II
they refuse. From one party or the other, there
fore. and lie does not the least care which. he will
be able to obtain the repeal of tie Union between
England and Ireland for that and nothing less is
what the demand for an independent Irish Parlia-
ment really means. If neither party will agree to
this, he can make all government impossible by
putting any possible Ministry into minority.
The probable error in this calculation is the
sumption that the Liberals will no. have working
majority over Tories and Parncllites combined.
The Liberals themselves believe that they can
secure such IA majority. Their sbrcwdcst managers
expect a majority Of 100, and that would put the
combined Tories aud Irish in a minority Of 33. On
this theory, Mr.. Parnclrs scheme only come TO
grief, but Mr.. Parnelrs scheme presumably proceeds
in fact on a wider basis. He must have taken into
account the probability of being unable actually to
control the fate of Ministries He knows very we'll
what Mr. Schnadhorst counts on, and Mr.. Schnad-
hots's means of information about English con-
stituencies are far greater than Mr. PaTneGs. |
think il must be assumed. therefore. that Mr. Par
neli's decision has becn taken in view of another
alternative What he believes is that, with or
without the balance of numerical power, he holds
cards which will enable him TO win tue game.
No man knows on what terms the existing Irish
Tory alliance was formed nor 10 what lengths IL
may proceed. Mr. Parnell has a profound faith in
the saueezabty of English politicians. He has in
turn made compacts with both English parties. He
has nsed both He has wrung from both conces-
si0ns which both had over and over again pro-
nonnrcd impossible He well understands the
ditiOns of political rivalry which exist IN England.
lie locks. presume, 10 a speedy reorganization of
parties. 1t is not quite clear whether he would
prefer TO see Mr. Gladstone retain the leadership of
the Liberals, OF disappear wholly from public lite.
So far re the Irish question from the Irish point of
view is concerned. either course would offer adj
vantages and also disadvantages. SO long ~ hr.
Gladstone continues the chief OF the Liberal PAL ty
Mr. Parncll knows that he may rely on the fanat-
cal hatred OF the Tories. They will 10 almost any
thing 10 pull him down, to prevent his return TO
mower The history OF the last two months IL the
proof of IT, and It is too fresh in everybodys mind
to need retelling. What Mr. Parncll believes IS
that with Mr.. Gladstone at the fore. and on the
theory that a majority can bo had in the House of
Commons by a coalition between himself and the
T.rcs the Tories will shrink from no terms le ay
would sooner see the Empire split asundor than Mr.
Gladstone again Prime MIN sier.
But if Mr.. Giadstones throat pro yes obdurate and
the failure of his voice becomes chronic Mr.. Par
ners prospects are, in his view. not less hopcfnl
Then would come he thinks. the long-impending
coIlapss of the Liberal party. Radicals and Wings
would part company Mr. Chamberlain freed
from the discipline which has thus far checked 10
some slight extent. the oxubcrance Of his passion
for new things would be- found ready to go any
Icncths with his irish friends. The seventy or
e;ghty Radicals of the present House will have
on ma hack trebed. or moro than trcbled, in num-
ho, !, tho new Parliament. With tho Parncllitcs
,hov might almost be "A majority and what is 10
nreyeot Lord Randolph Churchill coming over TO
lbe,n with such contingent Of Conservatives rs
shall make that motley band majority in fact
4 majority for the one purpose OF voting repeal OF
the hated Union is AL that Mr.. Parncll wants. II
lao and two out of the other three leaders OF the
Uonsc agree. why may he not hope to carry his
modest proposalY All this, of course on the sup
postion Of Mr.. Gadstono's abdicaton.
sbou,d mono of all these schemes prove workable.
Mr., Parnel has in reserve his old weapon Of OBJ
structon. lie has shown what no could do with
thirty members at his back. The new Rules inter
fered little with the FREQ practice of his peculiar
tactics Int ! understand Mr.. Parncll is convinced
that the new Rules in new House can obstruct OBJ
structon but little. Ninety members arc far moro
than three times as efficient for mischief as thirty.
Rules or no Rules lie counts on bringing nbout. in
the last resort complete Pariiam entary deadlock.
paralysis of business including, If necessary, the
stoppng of supplies. England is not TO be per-
uitted 10 have either n Parliament or a Govern
mcnt II slc does not allow Ireland TO govern her
self TO this end it is that new and singularly
stringent discipline has been devised for the new
parncllitc patty. The ninety Irish members are TO
lie nominated by Mr.. Pariell with Just so much
show OF Difference to the wish Of the constituencies
ns may not interfere in the least with the efficiency
Of the machine TO be constructed. They TO sign.
each Of them pledge to sit. act and ote With the