River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1886-04-15

meut OF tie Question was To Toe found 10y
establishing parliament in Dublin tor the
conduct of business of both "a legislative
and administrative nature. The political
economy of the three countries must he
recOnciled. There shoald be an equitable
distribution OF imperial burdens. Next,
there must be reasonable safeguards for
tue minority, and why could
not this minority in Ireland take
carr of itselfi lie had no doubt
of its ability To do that, when we have
passed through the present critical period
aud been diSarmed of the iealOusies with
which any cuange was approached, but for
the present there were three classes
of people whom they were bound
to consider First, the class con-
nected with the lands second,
the civil servants and 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 eiseU here to rule on questions
hith are fer the whole of Ireland. Sever
al schemes tor the separate government of
Ulster had been submitted TO him. One
was that Ulster province should be exciud-
ed from the operations of the present bill.
Another was that separate autonomy
she uld be provided for Ulster, and third
suggested that certain rights should be re-
served and placed under provincial cOun-
els. No one of these proposals had ap-
peared to the government 10 be so com
pletely justified by its merits or by the
weight of pubic opinion Ia its favor as TO
warrant the government ia including II in
their bill.
The speaker said he would now pass to
the plan how 10 give Ireland a legislature
To deaf with the Irish as distinguished from
imperial affairs He was confronted at tine
outset with what he felt to be a formidable
dilemma. Ireland was to have d domestic
legislature tor Irish affairs. That was his
pOstulate, from which he set out. Were
the irish members aud the Irish represent
alive peers IN either house to continue 10
form part Of the representative assemblies
J he speaker thought that IL would be per-
feetlS clear that II ireland was to have a
domestic i gislature, the Irish peers and
the Irish represen tatives could not come 70
parliament 20 control English aud Scotch
affairs. Then, with regard to the question
whether irish represe entail ives should come
To the house of commons flr the settlement
of imperial affairs, he thought that could
not be done. He had, therefore, arrived at
the conclusion that irish members and
/ Irish peers ought not to sit in the palace of
Wes,minster. Ii Irish members were not
to sit in the house Of commons, Irish
peers ought not % sit IN the other
house OF parliament. How were the
Irish people TO Toe taxed III they had legisla-
tors in both countries. de believed that
Great Britain would never impose upou
Ireland taxation without representation
and added: Ii we were to have taxation
without represe ntation then there would
come another question which would raise
a practical difficulty. and that is: Are we
7 10 give up that fiscal unity of the empire
He did not think that by giving up the tis-
cal unity Of me empire, they We're giving
up the unity of the empire He, however,
stood upon the substantial ground that to
give up the fiscal unity Of the empire would
be a public Inconvenience and misfortune
Ii would be great misfortune for Great
Britain and a greater misfortune for Ire
land. He conceived that one escape from
that dilemma wOuld be suCh an arrange
ment as would give the imperial govern
ment authority to levy customs duties and
such excise duties as were immediately
connected with the customs. The condi-
tioLs of such an arrangement were, first
that the general power of taxation over
ami above those particular duties should
pass into the hands Of a domestic leg
islature ia Ireland; second, that
the proceeds of the customs and
excise should he held foe the benefit Of Ire
land aud for the discharge of the Obhga-
tiOns of Ireland, aud the balan0e, after
these Obligations were discharged, should
be entered into the Irish eXchequer. and to
be for the free disposal Of the Irish legiSla-
I tive body. The government bill provided
I for this. and the bill then provid-
I ed that representatives Of Ire
I land should no longer sit in the
! house of commons or Irish peers in the
house OF lords, but at the same they would
have the right of addressing the crown, and
( so POSSESS all the constitutional rights they
held now. IL would, therefore, relieve Irish
members from attendance at Westminster.
MIR. Gladstone said he Rad several rea-
sons why this should be the case. Even if
il was possible for them TO attend, as they
had parliament Of their own it would he
very difficult TO have two classes of mem
bers in the British house, one class
who could vote on all questions con-
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 il
would be very difficult for gentlemen in
ireland to decide who should 20 10 West
minister or who should remBin in Ireland
and at the same time 10 maintain the fiscal
unity of the nation. There j. another
point with regard 10 the powers If the leg
stature. Two courses might ayC ,een tax
en-. One was to endow this legislative
body with particular legislative powers.
The other was to except from the sphere Of
its action those subjects which the govern
menJ 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
i've years The functions which il was pro
posed 10 withdraw from the cogniZauce
Of the legislative body were three grand
and principal functions, viz.
Everything which related TO the crown,
ali that which belonged TO the defense. the
army, the navy, the entire organization of
the armed forces. and our foreign and col
onial relations. IL would not be competent
10 pass laws for the establishment or ell
dOwment of any partlcularreligion cheers &.
As TO trade aud navigation, it would be a
misfortune To Ireland to be separated from
England The Irish parliament would
have nothing to do with coinage or the
creation of legal tender. The subject of
the pos Office would be left to the judg
ment OF parliament, though the govern
ment is inclined to the belief that il would
be more convenient to leave pOstOfiice mat
ters ia the hands OF the postmaster general.
Quarantine and one ~ two other subjects
we're left la the same category. The next
subject he had to approach was that Of the
composition Of the proposed legislative
body. The hIll Proposed TO introduce two
orders, who would sit and deliberate to
gether with the right of voting separ-
ately on any occasion, and on
the demand OF either body which
should he able to introduce a veto
I upon any measure for limited time. eth
/ er until the dissolution or for three years.
The orders would be cons Uituted as follows .
First here were the twenty-eight reure-
( sentative peers, who could not continue 70
/ sit IN the house of lords after the Tepresen-
tatiYes of the Irish people left the house Of
( commons. They would have the option Of
sitting as portion of
rHE FIRST ORDER
7 in the Irish parliament with the pcaser of
sitting for life. Some people thought that
option was not likely TO be used nut the
( speaker was not Of that numoer. He pro
posed that with the twenty eight peers now
IN the house Of lords there should sit
: seyenty-tive representatives elected
/ by the Irish people With regard 10
I tie powers of election the consti
tuency would be composed of Cccu-
piers of the value OF SIS aud upwards and
( they could be elected for ten years. The
property qualifications OF these represent
[ atives would be E3uJ annual value ON a
! capital value OF EfN0 Mr.. Gladstone
I said he proposed that the 101 Irish members
( in the house Of commons should tie mem
/ bers OF the Irish parliament. and whilst
1 the frst order % the legislative body would
! consist of ltG members the second order
I would consist pf 40. liz was proposed TO
{ retain the yiceroy, but he would not be the
/ representative OF a party, or Quit Office
l with an outgoing government. The queen
1 would he empowered 10 delegate TO him
4 any prer5 gatlves she row enjoyed or would
enjoy. Ine religious disability now eX-
isslng which makes Roman Catholics
I Ineligible to the office would be re-