Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-04-09
THE RICHMOND DIsPATCH-FRIDAY~ APRIL g. 1886.

that the Irish members and Irish
peers ought not to sit m the
palace Of Westminster. Oh /.
oh and cheers II Irish members
we're not TO sit in the House Of Com
mons Irish peers ought not to sit in the
other house Of Parliament. Hear !
Hear and oh, Hew were tho Irish
people to be taxed il they had legis-
lators in both countries? lie believed
that Great Britain would never i'm
pose upon ireland taxation with
out representation, and added "If
we were 10 have taxation without
representation thea there would come
another question which would raise
practical difficulty, and that is, Are
We to give up that fiscal unity OF the
empire. He did not think that by
giving up the fiscal unity Of the empire
they were giving up the unity Of the
empire. lie, however. stood upon the
substantial ground that to give up the
fiscal unity Of the empire would be
public inconvenience and misfortune.
1t would be a great misfortune fer
Ireland. lie conceived that the one
escape from that dilemma would be
such an arrangement as would give the
imperial Government authority to levy
customs duties and such excise dusies
as were Immediately connected with
customs. The conditions Of such An ar
Iangement were, first, that the gene
raj power Of taxation over and
above those particular duties should
pass unequivocally into the hands
Of the domestic Legislature in Ire
land secondly, that the pro-
ceeds Of customs and excise should
be held for the benefit OF Ireland and
for the discharge Of the obligations Of
Irelsue, ard the paymentof the bal
ance after these obligations were dis
charged should be entered into the
Irish exchequer and be for the free
disposal Of the Irish legislative body.
The Government bill provided for this,
and the bill then provided that the
representatives of Ireland should no
longer sit in the House Of Commons or
Irish peers IN the House Of Lords, but
at the same time they would have the
right of addressing the Crown and pos
sess all constitutional rights they hold
now. IOh and cheers 1t would there
fore relieve Irish members from attend
ance at Westminster.
"Since the year 1888" Mr.. Glad
stone said, "only two years have
passed without coercive legislation for
Ireland. and in spite of all this the law
continues to be disregarded, because it
is invested in the eyes of the Irish with
a foreign aspect. Were further CO.
ercion to be successful it would require
two conditions-the autocracy of the
Government and the secrecy Of public
transactions. The Parnellites cheer
The handspring of the law in England
is felt to be English, in Scotland to be
Scotch but in Ireland it is not felt to
be Irish. The first condition Of civilized
life in Ireland demands that the people
have confidence in the law and SYM
patby Herewith. The problem, there
fore, before Parliament at the present
time is to reconcile imperial unity with
a diversity Of legislatures. lie be-
lieved that the Government had found
a solution of this problem in the estab-
lishment of a parliament at Dublin for
the conduct Of business, both legisla-
tive and administrative" Loud cheers
by the Parnellites.l
1.-The political equality Of these
countries" said Mr.. Gladstone, "must
be recognized. Therefore there must
be an equitable distribution Of the i'm
perial funds. The peculiar circum.
stances existing in Ireland also make it
necessary to establish safeguards for
the minority in that country. The
Government will be obliged to con-
slider the class connected with land
and the relation which they will sus-
tain with the Protestant minority, as
Ireland is to have a domestic Legisla-
ture. 1t will, therefore, be Impracti-
cable for Irish representatives to come
here"
"The intention of the Government
BILL" Mr.. Gladstone said, is that the
Parliament at Dublin shall be dual
body. 1t is to be composed of two or
ders, each of which shall have power to
veto the acts of the other. The first
order will include l03 members the
second order 20G. Twenty-eight of the
present Irish peers will continue to
sit in the House of Lords, and they will
be granted the option to have life-seats
in the first Irish order. The Office of
Viceroy Of Ireland will not be discon-
tinued. The bill intends that the vice.
roy shall remain and that the Office shall
hereafter be non-political-that is, the
Of the office will not be ex-
pected to retire with the downfall of |
any British Ministry"
The bill empowers the Queen to
delegate to the Viceroy such Of her pre-
negatives as she may choose. The Irish |
constabulary will remain under the |
same authority as at present. The bill |
provides that the Parliament shall have
no authority to establish or endow any |
particular religious sect. 1t will be
however, to deal with laws
affecting trade and navigation; affect
rg weights and measures, and
postal administration. The bill will
preserve the fiscal unity Of the
;mpire, but the entire proceeds
arising from customs or excise duties
n Ireland will be held for the benefit
If that country. These funds are to
'e used for the discharge OF Irish OBJ
igations. Any balance which may
emain after this is to remain in the
rish exchequer. The provisions of
be bill vest in the IrisA Legislature
he general power Of imposing taxes"
at is proposed that the maximum
duration Of the Irish Parliament shall
&c five years. 1t shall have no power
o interfere with the prerogative of the
'rown, such as the army, navy, or
Their armed forces. 1t shall have moth
Dg to do with foreign or colonia! az
llrs."
Mr.. Gladstone resumed his seat amid
ursts of enthusiastic cheers, which
;ere sustained for several minutes.
lis speech was three hours and twenty
We minutes in duration. lie finished
{ s o'clock.
When the applause had subsidized