Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-06-03
His Views ON the Question Presented
at the Portland Meeting.

The speech Of Hon. James G. Blaine at the
home rule meeting in Portland. Me-, Monday
night briefly mentioned in yesterdays STAR)
WAS enthusiastically received by the large
audience. Dir. Blaine said:
YOUR ExCELLESCY: Directly after the pub
LEGATION of the call for this meeting received q
letter from venerable citizen in an adjacent
county asking me to explain, IL could, just
what the Irish question is. / appreciate the
question, or rather appreciate his request for
an explanation of a question that calls forth so
much sympathy and sentiment on the part of
the world at large, and eyokes so much opposi-
ton among those who are directly interested.
There may be danger of not giving attention
enough To the simple elementary facts OF the
Now, what il home rule? Why. 1t is what
every state and territory OF the United States
enjoys tapplausel and IL is what Ireland does
not enjoy. In a parliament of 65S members
Great Britain has sos and Ireland has los.
and except with tue consent of that parlia-
mert Ireland cannot organize "a gas company
tlaughtcrl, OF a horse railroad company, a
Ferry over a stream laughter. or do the slight
est thing that implies legislative power.
state OF Maine should be linked with The state
of New York, relatively as large with the state
of Maine as England in numbers with Ireland,
and your beautiful city here could not take
step for its Improvement, nor the state OF Maine
organize an association of any kind or charter
company of any kind unless the overwheim-
ing galaxy of tile New DIRK legislature gave
her consent how long do you think the people
OF Maine would stand it9 lAppiausel
That is the simple question between England
and Ireland, except that there is the great fact
In addition which would not apply to New
York and Maine-tbat there are centuries of
wrong which have built up monuments of
hatred on the part of those who are the subjects
Of oppression, and which have aggravated the
question between Ireland and Great Britain far
beyond the limits that would be found between
New York and Maine. suppose if the ques-
tion were LETT to the United states to decide
we should say: adopt the federal system:
have your legislature for Ireland, your legisla-
ture for England, your legislature for Wales,
your legislature tor Scotland, and your imperial
parliament tor the British empire Let oues-
lions that are Irish be settled by Irishmen,
question that are English be settled by Eng
lishmen, questions that are Welsh be settled
by Welshmen, and questions that are Scotch
LeI auestons that af,rct Tie SPola Of
Great Britain be settled by q parliament in
which the four great constitutional elements
say that would be the shorthand method oil
settling The question, for We have lived that
way for nearly one hundred years in the United
States. IApplausel
do not forget. however. that 1t would be DO.
litical emPyrlcism To attempt by any prescrip-
ton to give the exact measure, the exact details
OF any measure that should settle this long
dispute between Great Britain and Ireland I
am admonished by what nave noticed in thu.
British parliament in discussions concerniuS
America, not to be too forward in the knowleo ge
OF details or in prescribing exact measures, be-
cause L suppose they would retort thai we
know quite as little about their precise troubles
AS they know about ours. Therefore / do not
n. Gtu1SIOnpfS
Is perfect measure; do not stand here TO saw
that ever could give you the exact details of
that measure; do not say that ever took
Time TO examine them; but say that L in
favor OF any bill that shall take the first step
toward righting the WRONG and of handing over
the government 10 ireland.
As to any statement regarding parliamentary
power IN Great Britain. am admoniSheG to be
modest, because 1 well remember that Lord
OCCASION informed the house of commons that
the President OF the United States could not
alone declare war, that it required the assent of
the SENATE. when every school boy knows that
IL Is the Congress of the United States To whom
the war power Is given in this country laugh
ter-J But That was not SO bad as another MEM
Der OF parliament who assured the house ON a
certain occasion that no law could be passed in
the United States until il had received the
assent of two-thirds of the legislatures of the
several states. Laughter.J And a fellow eru-
Der corrected him, saying: You are wrong
until two-tlsirds of the legislatures of the states
consent lGreat laughter.l
Lord Macaulay, when a notice was made nv
lord John Russell In the house of commune ~
1874 TO inquire into the condition of Ireland
said: You admit that you govern Ireland, MOI
as you govern Scotland, but as you govern your
new eonquests in lndia-not by means of the
respect which the people feel Tor the law but
trenched camps"
Now. if that were true in 1914, am sure do
NOT exaggerate when say thai the long period
ol iorty-two years which has INTERVIEWED has
served 10 strengthen the truth OF Macaulay's
words rather than diminish them IAppl,.uSa
II, Lord Salisbury gives the remedy. He says il
The irish do not wish To be governed bv III.
British they should leave. But the Irish have
Been IN Ireland quite as long as Lord Sails
bury 5 ancestors have been in England Tiauyh-
teri, and very likely, for aught / know for 1
have not examined his lordship's Unease in
baTkes Peerage, very likely his ancestry were
came over with William the Conqueror centu-
Ties after the Irish people were known in Ire
Therefore We need not be surprised. we who
aeIneinoer Salisbury's course in the civil war.
Inc, therefore. We hay3 TO say that Lord Salisbury
may be called iInpudent. We would not trans
gross courtesy IL we called him insolent We
would not transgress truth if We called him
brutal We Know him in this country He
was the bitterest foe that tine government of the
United States pad in the British parliament
during the civil war. He has transferred aII the
hatred which Kissed forth in the parliament OF
Great Britain during our struggles liz come,
rom a source upon which / am anxious to
comment.
An objection comes from the Presbyterians Of
SLsler, appealing To the Presbyte of the
ShiIeu states against grantinssthis bill. was
educated under Presby terrain Influences and
nave connection with that church by Kindred
oiood ana an affinity that begins with my life,
anu snaii not cease until my lie is ended: and
would he ashamed oil the Presbyterian chnrch
oi America II II responded To AN appeal of thar
klnd. which asks that five millions of irish Deo~
pie shall be kept from Tree government bec,inss
D. the remote danger, as they fancy that a DUB
IN parliament would interfere with their lib r
uss a. fresbyierlans- Great appiause.I
Now, Mr.. Chairman, If the home rule biu shall
pass and Dublin parliament be granted. there
government was instituted which assumed
power viii greater res possibility to the p,lb-
Ac opinion IMAM the men who will COMPOSE
tuat parliament. because, III they allowed TO
FORM Il II VIII be by OF tine pressure of th
puoAc opinion OF the world IapplauseE and
Know that the Catholics OF ireland And Tho
IresoyteTians OF Ireland can live and do ju,t as
The Catholics of the United States and the Pres
byteriaEs OF the United States live [applatseL
citizens oil one country, each giving 10 tile other
perfect risnt OF conscience, each declining To in
tefIere ia any manner with The perfect liberty
OF the other. lApplausel
~. Siiitistoiie IN his policy proposes another
b!H lie proposes to do something To- reliayc
thS ifisii rom the lntolefibie oppression of the
apttoFos- Let me here quote Lord Naca NAV
gam, sltahins Of ireland. whose territory IL
n45hty less Than the territory OF the state of
nssIhe-peFnai1s 3o,Ot)o square miles les, than
this state Lord Mae2ulay in the same .,peeeh
Say III natural fertility ireland is superior to
mp aiFe. U! esi a Size III amy European coUutryo
NOW VIII give you MS est innate of the posi-
tioA oi Ireland toward England: Ireland i a
country Iaf more important 10 the prosperity
tue strength, the dignity OF the British empire
thill al our distant dependencies together
! ioIe lillpor tsiuI than the Cauadsls, the West
1HoieS, South Africa, Australia, Ceyion and the
Nast dolIlihIons Oh the Mogul."
Al an lrIshman mad said that i'm America
people would eXclaiu: Did YOU ever hear
Isle? daughter. Well, after reading these
statements from tuis high source let me pas. 10
practical examination, somewhat minute in
yOu viii pardon IL. OF the land question not i'm
snS abstract way, but in Il perfectly practicable
Aou ldrulSr-slke 4 ted 10 hat