The Northwestern standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1885-1886, 1886-01-30
AN IRISH PARLIAMENT
Labouohere Says There Must be Ore Al
lnwad

Labouchere Says There Must be Ore Az
lowed
see every day, says the witty ana
able editor Of London Truth, this OF
that advice given to us with respect 20 u
Ireland. First, we were told that the
two parties ought to act together. nat {
they were to do together was never ex-
pressly stated: but they were to act.
This soon was found a mere plous as
piratiou. Since then various plans have
been suggested, the great fault OF winch
is that they are not likely to satisfy the
Irish. Such schemes giving too much
to meet with Conservative approval,
and giving too little to meet with lrlsh
approyal-are obviously impossible 50
far as the present House OF Commons IS
concerned. Their purposes would, be- y
tween two stools, fall heavily to the
ground. There are not, therefore,
three courses to pursue. but only Two. \
One is to do nothing, the other is TO 90
enough to secure the assent Of the Par
nellites This is the practical outcome
OF the situation; all else is mere IN
trigue This being 50, those who, ike
Mr.. Gladstone, do not hold to The do
nothing views must endeavor to devise
scheme which, whilst it satisfies the
Irish, does not ALLEVIATE the English bY
endangering the unity Of the Empire.
| An Irish Parliament there must be. The
veto of the Imperial Parliament on
| Irish legislation not only would not be
accepted by the Irish, but would hardly
meet with approval on this side OF the
channel, for we should not get rid OF
the present disturbing influence to that
party government which has become
| the corner stone OF our political system.
Under these circumstances, / should
say that we ought to assimilate Ireland
/ so far as possible to the Dominion
4 The fewer the points Of contact the
i less probability is there of friction. Of
course, If we think, like most OF the
Times correspondents. that the Irish
4 Nationalist are pernicious lunatics, we
ought not to give them weapons which
they might turn against US. But 1t is
mere assumption that they are thls-an
assumption which would justify us in
{ keeping them for ever under restraint.
The argument that they are not tit for
, self-government, and that they would
use it to destroy all civil government, is
one that has been used time and again
by the Tories against any extension of
the franchise. By exaggerating the
! dangers of change, and by assuming
| the possible to be the probable. these
/ enemies of progress have always sought
: to hinder all progress. A thing is,
Therefore it ought to be. Ii it be shown
) ! that it ought not to be, the answer al
! ways has been that what can be sub
: Evidently it has not. nor can 1t be, II
the experiment. be never tested. Even
those who distrust Home Rule would
s do well to consider whether their choice
9 is not between two evils. Is the state
Q of Ireland such that we can congratn-
D late ourselves on itp Home Rule, ! as
.sert. will make things better; this may
y or nay not be true, but oRlly q very very 5 BOD
= or a very ignorant man would assert
! that it must necessarily make them
4 worse. But, say some Liberals, ''look
what a splendid cry Integrity OF En-
pre- will be for the Conservatives. We
might, If there were a general election.
! be beaten This is a low, party view
: OF our duties. Still, / am by no means
4 sure that the probabilities are in favor
= of our being beaten. The mass Of the
electors are thinking Of their interests;
y those who think out the matter will
IS even though they may not be enthu-
Il slastic for Home Rnle-say that as one
a of the parties in the state has pledged
/, itself to it, Home Rule is only a qnes-
ton Of time, ana that it will be better
!. to do at once what must eventually be
: done IL, therefore, the question be re-
: ferred to the celebrates, and il tEe
. Radicals hang together, we, not ths
: Tories, shall in all probability win.