New-York tribune., 1886-06-06
SUPPLEMENT.
PAGES 9 TO 16.
uP BLAINE ON HOME RULE
v,uI AND EXACT TENT OF HIS PORTLAND
SPEECH.

Tho rrcat speech made by Mr.. Blaine at the |
uome Rule meeting in Portland Me-, last
tuesday evening, and publlshed IN Wcdnes-
,oy,s TRIBUNE, was telegraphcd late at nght
srom stenographic notes and hur ied!y put In
80 after o'clock in the morning. The speech
~ commanded such universal attention at
horc and abroad that we are glad to reproduce
I'm fur freed from the verbal errors when
.be ouick work Of proOfreadcrs and the teie-
-ro,h made in the first report and ON
soy when our readers will find leisure ior
,hourhtful consideration of Mr.. blaines iucid
"a forceful analysis of the Home Rule ques-
ton. r,,, cpprCu
Worm FxCrIIFNCY AND FELLOW CITIZENS:
nrec.ly after the published notice of tins meet
,ng received q letter from venerable 1riehu III
an adjacent county asking me. as was announcer
20 speak to explain. if could what the lrish Vues-
t;on IA, appreciate this request. for on an issue
that calls forth much sympathy ana so mucn
seutment among those devoted to free government
throughout the world, and evOkes so much passion
among those who are directly concerned In the
result there may be danger of not giving sufficient
attention to the simp.e elementary facts which
enter into the case.
What then is Home Rule 1t is nothing more
and nothing less than that which is enjoyed by
q avery state and Territory of the United States
fAppause.l Negatively it is what tie people OF
Ireland 90 not enjoy. In Parliament oi go mem mem
bers Great Britain has 5G7 and Ireland has io5
Fxcept with tho consent OF tnls Parliament, IN
abich the Irish mem bers Outnumbercd by more
than five to one, the people OF ireland possess no
legislative power whatever. They canuot moor
no,ate n horse railroad company, authorize
ferry over a stream, or organize gas company 10
light the streets of "a city Apply that case 70 our,
s.lyes Suppose the state of Maine were linked
with The State of New-York in a Joint Legislature
in which New York had mole than hve members TO
Names one Suppose you could not take step
for the Improvement of your beautiful city, nor the
State organize ASSOCIATION of any KIND or ADOPT
the permission of the overw whelmng majority OF the
New-lu lurk members. How long DO yOu tliik the
people of Maine would endure that condition. Oh
afairsi And yet, that illustrates the positloh
which Ireland holds with respect to england eX-
cept that there is one aggravatlng feature IN addl
lion which would not apply TO New-iOrk ana
Maine namely the centuries of oppression which
have inspired the people OF Ireland with deep
sense of wrong toward them on tue part Oh Eng
land.
II the Irish question were left to the people of The
United States to adjust suppose we should say,
sdopt the Federal system. Let Ireland have ner
legislature, let England have her legislature let
Scotland have her legislature let Wales have her
legislature, and then let the Imperial Parliament
legislate tor the British Empire Let questions
that are Irish be settled by lrsSmen questions that
are tuglish be settled D' Eng ishmenq IONS that
are Welch he settled by Welchmen, questions that
are Scotch be settled by ScOtchmen. And let ques-
tions that anect the whole Empire of Great Br1tain
he settled 10 Parliament IN which the iour great
Constituent elements shall he impartialv repre-
sented. Applause hat would be our alect,
shorthand method of settling the 4uest9n Under
that system we have lived aed grown and prospercd
for more than one hundred years III inc hlteo
States OF America, continually expanding ana con-
tinually Strengthening our INSTITUTIONS lappiausel
and hence we can with confidence commend IL 10
O.her Nations! -,
do not forget. however. that it would be mere
empincism to attempt TO give the exact details ol
any measure that would settle this long contention
between Great Britain and ireland. 10 prescribe
definite measures for "a British Parliament would he
presumpt our part as much rs iOr the Engllsn
people 10 prescribe definite measures for the Amer
can Congress. ] have noticed 80 many errors even
among the leading men of Great Britain, concerning
The lniten States that have beeh taught inodesiy
in attempting TO critlclse the Proc sses ana the spc
cinc measures OF Parliament. well relnemt er that
Lord Palmerston, OH grave occasion during our
civil war, informed the House OF Commons that
the President OF the United States couu not OF
his own power declare war; fhdfu reqaTtd ne as
sent OF the endte." Ard vet every schoolboy III
America knows that it is the Congress OF the United
States, both Senate and House, to which the war
power is exclusively given by the constitution OF
the United States. But Lord faimerstoh error 'r
was not so had another which Is SAID ~ nave
occurred in the British Parliament; when a member
in an authoritative manner assured The House that
no law IN the nted states was wand until II had
received the assent of the Legislatures of two
thirds of the several States laughterI and a lei
low member corrected him by saying; lou are
wrong The American Congress cannot discuss any
measure until twothrds OF the Legislatures oi the
States shall have already approved it," Renewed
and prolonged lduEuttTJ hulIoulSh'V ~ ''iS"S
and like instances refrain from any DIS
cnssion of the uetals Of Mr.. Gladstone's Home
Rule bill. 1t may rot be perfect. IL may G' nN1
give TO Ireland all that she IS entitled TO. only
know that IT is a step III the right dlrecton' ana
that he long oppressed people OF Ireland hail u as
great and benetce1t measure OF relief. lhey
and their represent ttves understand it, and more
than al, Mr.. Gladstone understands III ana ihal Is
enough for me- Long anu eoptnne9 spp.amSe
famous motion in the House OF Commons. In feb,
ruary, 1s44 to inqule into the condition of Ireland
l,,vI hns IN lay attdl N
sure that the memory of neither Will be injured by
mistakipg one for the other lappiause Lord
Macaulay said in of bis most eloquent
speeches d" You admit that you govern Ireland not
a. you govern England. not as you govern Scot-
land, but as you govern your new conlues's IN
In, ia not bv means OF the respect which the pcO-
pie feel for the law, hut by means Of hay"1ets ana
artillery aud entIenchrd Camps" 1t that were true
in 1914 am sure do not cXaggrrate when say
that the long period of forty two yTars which has
intervened has served to strengthen rather than 10
dlminlsn the Truth of Macaniays words. Ap-
plausel And now in utter disregard Of tue facts
set forth in Mac; ulays extraordinary statement.
Lord Salisbury cones forward with a remedy OF
anexiielnely harsh character. lie says III elect
that Ihe irish can remdi" as ihey n"~ are ana =
british rule or they cmi9rae" But the irs Ii
have been in Ireland quite as long as LORD Sails-
bory's ancestors have been in England, and J pre-
sunle much longer. His lorosllir's lineage IS not
given in Burke's peerage beyond the illustrous
Burei- OF Queen lzabeths day; and p'ssD'y
his remote ancestry may have been Danish pirates
or peasants in Normandy before the Conquest anu
yet centuries alter the Irish people were Known III
Ireland. repeat. therefore, Lord Salisbury prop,
0sitlon IL extremely harsh. Might we not indeed
with good reason call it impudentf Would II
trans Qrcss courtesy If We called IL liisoleht
Would we violate truth if we called it brutal in its
cruetys We hav had occasion III this country to
know Lord Salisbury TOO well. He Was Tie bitter
est foc that the ONernment OF the United States
had in the British Parliament dnriag Our civil war
He coldiy advocated the ueisrnctlon OF I Aincil'
can mon simply as measure for increasing tbe
commerce and prosperity OF Great Britain. III.
policy Ior Ireland and bis policy toward the United
States are ESSENTIALLY alike III spirit and Ill temper
Another objection to SIR. GladstoEe's policy
comes from the Presbyterians of Ulster in the iorn
OF an appeal to the Presbyteriaus of the United
States against granting the boon OF Home Rule tt