The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1886-04-15
GLADsTONE's POLICY.
Home Rule aad Home Parlla ment Il
ireland.

GLADSTONE'S POLICY.
Home Rule sad Home ParlIs ment for
Ireland.
Mr.. Gladstone, on Thursday outlined his
Irish Home Rule bill to the House OF Com
mons. No event in later English history
has been received with such profound and
sensational demonstration. aud description
fairly pales in the attempt to convey any
adequate narrative Of the manifestations
Of the populace toward England's Premier.
i was with difficulty that the carriage Of
4r. Gladstone passed from his house to the
parliament building, SO immense was the
throng and 50 odemonstrative their welcome.
less enthusiastic. The prince Of w alcs, his
son, Prince Albert Victor, duke Of Cam
bridge, Prince Christian and Minister
Phelps occupied seats during the speech in
the front row Of the peers gallery. At4:a5
p n. Mr.. Gladstone began his address, the
salient points Of which appear below:
The fault Of the administrative system
Of Ireland was that its spring and source
Of action was English tcheers). The
government therefore felt that the settle
ment Of the question was to be found by
establishing parliament in Dublin for the
conduct OF business Of both legislative
and administrative nature. The political
economy OF the three countries must be
recOnciled. There shoald be an equitable
distribution Of imperial burdens. Next.
there must be reasonable safeguards for
the minority, and why could
not this minority in Ireland take
care Of itselfs He had no doubt
- Stc - - a Al-k
passed through the present critical period
and been disarmed Of the jealousies with
which any change was approached, but for
the present there were three classes
Of people whom they were bound
nsctes % xib ls ,ss shs land class ,rceoa eoa
the civil servants aud the officers OF the
government in Ireland third, the Protest
ant minority. The speaker could not ad-
init the claim of the Protestant minority in
Ulster or elsewhere to rule on questions
which are tor the whole Of Ireland. Sever
al schemes for the separate government of
Ulster had been submitted to him. One
Was that Ulster province should be exciud-
I'D from the operations Of the present bill.
Another was that separate autonomy
should be provided for Ulster, and third
suggested that certain rights should lie re-
served and placed under provincial coun-
cils. No one OF these proposals nad ar
peared to the government to be SO com
pletely Justified by its merits or by the
weight Of public opinion in its favor as to
warrant the government in including il I'M
their bill.
The speaker said he would now pass to
the plan how to give Ireland legislature
to deal with the Irish as distinguished from
imperial affairs. He was confronted at the
outset with what he felt to be q formidable
dilemma. Ireland was TO have domestic
legislature for Irish affairs. That was his
pOstulate, from which he set out. We're
the Irish members and the Irish represent
alive peers in either house to continue to
form part OF the representative assemblies. ].
The speaker thought that it would be per-
eectly clear that il Ireland was TO have q
domestic legislature, the Irish peers and
the Irish representatives could not come to
parliament to control English and Scotch
Affairs. Then, with regard to the question
whether Irish representatives should come
to the house of commons fer the settlement
Of imperial affairs, he thought that could
not be done. He had, therefore, arrived at
the conclusion that Irish members aud
Irish peers ought not to sit in the palace Of
Westminster. II Irish members were not
to sit in the house Of commons, Irish
peers ought not to sit IN the other
house OF parliament. How were the
Irish people to be taxed il they had legisla-
tors in both countries. He believed that
Great Britain would never impose upon
Ireland taxation without representation
00u 0OO00s II We WcI0 W nave t0AdLIOH
without representation then there would
come another question which would raise
Q practical difficulty, and that is: Are we
70 give up that fiscal unity OF the empire!
He did not think that by giving up the fis-
cal unity OF she empire, they were giving
stood upon the substantial ground that to
| give up the fiscal unity of the empire would
be public Inconvenience and misfortune.
i would be great misfortune for Great
Britain aud greater misfortune for Ire
land. He conceived that one escape from
that dilemma would be such an arrange
ment - would give the imperial govern
ment authority to levy customs duties and
| such excise duties rs were Immediately
| connected with the customs. The condi-
that the general power Of taxation over
and above those particular duties should
pass into tho hands Of q domestic leg
islature in Ireland; second, that
| the proceeds Of the customs and
! excise should he held for the benefit OF Ire
land and for the discharge Of the obliga-
tions OF Ireland, and the balance, after
these obligations were discharged, should
be entered into the Irish exchequer and to
be for the free disposal Of the Irish legisla-
tive body. The government bill provided
for this. & and the bill 1T; then proyid-
land should no longer sit in the
house OF commons or Irish peers in the
| house Of lords, but ct the same they would
have the right Of addressing the crown, and
90 Eossess al the constitutional rights they
| held now. It would, therefore, relieve Irish
members from attendance at Westminster.
| Mr.. Gladstone said he had sever IL rea
sons why this should be the case. Even il
| it was possible for them to attend, as they
| had o parliament of their own 1t would be
very difficult to have two classes Of mem
bers in the British house, one class
nected with the business Of the coun.
| try and another which could only vote
on special and particular questions which
are brought before parliament. Again II
would be very difficult Tor gentlemen In
Ireland to decide who should 90 to West
and ct the same time to maintain the hsca
unity OF the nation. There Is another
point with regard to the powers OF the leg
islature. Two courses might have been TAX
en-. One was to endOw this Legislative
body With particular legislative svs powers ;;
its action those subjects which the govern
ment thought ought to be except
ed and to leave it TO any
other power: The duration Of the pro-
posed legislative body should not exceed
posed to withdraw from the cognizance
Of the legislative body were three grand
and principal functions, viz:
Everything which related to the crown
all that which belonged to the defense. thu
the armed forces, and our foreign and col
onial relations. It would not be competent
to pass laws for the establishment Or en-
dowment Of any particular religion [cheersl
As to trade and navigation, it would be .
England. The Irish parliament woulo
have nothing to do with coinage or thu
creation Of legal tender. The subject o
the postoffice would be left to the judg
menr OF parliament though the govern
ment is inclined to the belief that it would
be more convenient to leave postofiice mat
knnc ~ h0 ~ - kho no