Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1886-06-17
Home Rule for Ireland.

The Irish Nationallsts are naturally
not discouraged by the defeat OF the
Home Rule bill on Monday night. The
smallness OF the majority shows that
! the ultimate success of Mr.. Gladstone
and the Parnellites Is inevitable. There
can be no doubt that the next House of
Commons will be strongly Irish. There
is no OF Ier conclusion possible, especial
ly when the character of the last elec-
] ton is taken into account.
From Mr.. Parnell's speech we now
know the depths of Tory duplIcity.
There has seldom been such shame
full revelation made as that which was
forced from the Irish leaderon Monday.
Now we know precisely why Mr.. Par
nell made an alliance with. the Tories,
and helped elect Tory candidates. Not
only had there been general promise
from the Tories of support for home
rule bill, but measure had been out
lined and substantial relief had been
promised by a member of the Tory
Cabinet. Mr.. Parnell declined to give
the name of the person making this
promise, but there will hardly be a
doubt that is was Lord Randolph
Churchill. Mr.. Parnell trusted the
Tories, and he was deceived, as Michael
Davitt predicted he would be. When
the deception had done Its perfect
work, and a number OF seats were as
sured to-, the Tories by the aid Of the
Parnellites, the Tories impudently told
the Irishmen that they would not vote
for home rule. 1t is probable, however,
that the bargain would have been car
ried out If the Tories had majority of
the House of Commons. The Tories
were treacherous because they were un-
able to take the honors Of granting
home rule.
This disingenuousness was pheno-
menally stupid, even for the Tories.
We fancy that Englishmen do not look
for political honesty from Churchill
any more than Americans expect the
truth from Blaine. But Mr.. Blaine,
shallow as his acts sometimes are,
would have never played 30 stupid a
trick as this of Churchill. He gave his
Word to help pass home rule bill, and
he gave 1t to man who, of all the
world, was most interested in holding
him and his party to strict account
ability. Then he broke his word, and
was In Mr.. Parnell's power. 1t is evil
dent, from what has been revealed by
Mr.. OCOnnOr concerning the Tory
member for BoultOn, that all the party
understood the contract with the Irish
Nationalists. 1t is evidence of Mr..
Parnell's temperateness and high pur-
poses that he did not reveal the dupli-
city and dishonesty of the Tories until
an explanation of their attitude during
the canvass was forced from him in the
last hours of the debate.
1t was stupid blunder to deceive
Mr.. Parnell, because the Tories must
have known that he had the power to
take away from them several seats at
the next election. They had lost all
they could at the hands of the voters
by advocating home rule at first, and
they simply added to the number of the
enemies by breaking their word. 1t
was stupid blunder to oppose home
rule at all. 1t is always stupid to op-
pose the inevitable, and there is no
Englishman, be he Tory or Whig or
Radical, but ought to know that the
men elected by home rule votes will be
defeated because they voted against
Mr.. Gladstone's bill; and that so close a
vote in the House Of Commons is really
a postponement, and not defeat. This
blunder must greatly strengthen the
Irish and Liberal cause, and Cham
berlain, Harrington and Goschen, as
we'll as the Tories, will realize their
blunder when the next House of Com
mons meets. Home rule has almost
won. 1t is only the stupidity and blind
ness of Conservative England which
stands in the way. The duty of the
friends of Ireland on this side of the
water is clear. AS soon as the writs for
a new election are out they must see
that the Irish candidates have all the
money they need.-N Y Star.