The Northwestern standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1885-1886, 1886-01-16
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IJ MBERI
I5it was extended t0 Eng land, and there
fore II was impo ossible to renew excep.
tional lsgisla ation. 6 w 3 have, Il they
said Just placed power ia the hands
OF the masses of the Irish people; dO
not let us show them that We think
them unworthy Of that conf idenCe. 81 I
thought at the time that that was q
yery good argument, but 4 do beg yon
Ito observe that it is capable Of great
appli licati0n to the crisis that now con-
fronts us, and be prepared for such lap-
iplication coming from the men who
first used the argument. 1T is, no great
stain upon that argument, but, on the
IcOntrary, it seems to me the direct and
Inevitable inference following from it
that if You have placed such confidence
in the Irish people you are bound to-
pay some attention to the voice which
they give in response to your invitation.
If these people, whom both parties, re-
member, have united in clothing with
political poweriif they desired = larger
share Of self government, then I, for
one, contend, on the principle laid
down BY Lord Salisbury himself at
Newport, that a larger share Of SELF
government they ought to have.
lCheers.l Ny limitations is what il was
during the elections an extension OF
self lf-goyernment subject to the limits
that are imp osed upon it by the safety,
the integrity, and the honor Of the sov-
ereign realm as a whole. lCheers.)
believe without exaggeration that our
country has not stood in a more serious:
position for generation, and perhaps
for two or three generations. What is
| the position? In 1928 the returno one
single Catholic at the Glare election
convinced the Tory government of the
day that it was impossible to resist the
Irish demand that Catholics should be
allowed to sit in the British parliament.
There would be nothing astounding
nothing incredible, nothing unreason-.
able, if the return, not Of one member
but the return Of 81 or 86 followers of
Mr.. Parnell, should convince the Tory
government OF this day that you can
not resist the Irish demand ufor larger
measure Of self-government. Hear
hear.) This is the question. Is the
enormous and impo osing majority which
Mr.. Parnell has obtained in Ireland to
count for nothing2 If tits to count for.
nothing for how much is it to cuunt? !?
In the face5of such 3 return As this
lelection has given us, We are asksd ne
you going to hand over the loyal minor
| ity to the so-called disloyal maj ajorityYs
Observe. they say, how much that mn
ority is. lis exactly the size Of that
minority which makes,xne feel that you
may with some safety ext tend sell gov
ernment to- the country where it exists,
because 90 large q minority will be very
ttsysllls sttosasakk u It ll l
ests. That is y point which venture
to think istoo much overlo 0kod /; butt
whether or not. r submit To Won, All
representative Of the Liberals of New
castle and Of the North Of England,
that the question that has been raised,
raised not on an unauthentic paragraph
in q newspaper, but by the Irish elec-5
tions, is a question which once raised,
cannot slumber or sleep until you have
manfully faced it and nanfully dea1t
with it. (Cheers) The Irish question
will continue to follow us, to bafiie us,
and to haunt us and impede US at every
turn, until we have shown how we are
going to confront it. Look at the po-
sition Of Ireland itself. i SAID just now
that the Irish question was not raised
by a newspaper paragraph. You have
in Ireland immense intimidation. YOuI
have every prospect that rents will not
be paid. You have a good prospect
that juries will not be found to convict
for agrarian offenses at the coming
assizes. The Times correspondent at
Dublin, who is himself q very strong
Tory, tells us that even the police, our
own garrison, are suspected OF wilfnl1
apathy in the detection Of crime Do
not forget that Lord Salisbury himself
in his speech at Newport said distinct
| ly that he had come to the conclusion
that intimidation in Ireland now was
like excommunication or iuterdict in
the middle ages. 1t was one Of those
things which it was vain to attempt by
Legislation to reach. / do not think that
you can put down the subtle, impalp-
4 able force Of a surrounding public opin-
ion by any number Of dragons. As Tor
altering procedure, with view to gag
or to silence the Irish members, am
4 for altering and reforming the pro-
4 cedure, but do not believe you can Dc
it. in any such way as TO neutralize the
/ presence in our midst in the House of
Commons Of those gentlemen speaking
land we know they do speak
the voice and wishes OF the Irish nation.
In considering this second project, do
not leave out Of sight that great force
in our affairs 1T is not a very whole
some force, but 1t is always there, and
! you must make your TeckO kOning with Il
--the restlessness Of parties lhear,
hear.) The Liberals might do this, the
Tories would oppose it; the Tories
might do It, and ! would not be sur