The Northwestern standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1885-1886, 1886-01-16
NUMBER /

lloIlal i9glSlaJlon. We have. ~ They
said, lust placed power il the hands
OF the masses of the Irish people; do
not let us show them that we think
| them unworthy Of that confidence 3 ]
| thought at the time that that was a
very good argument, but Z do beg yea
! TO observe that it is capable of great
application to the crisis that now con-
fronts US, and be prepared for such APP
pllcaJlon coming from the men who
tlrst used the argument. It is no great
stain upon that argument. but, on the
contrary, tseems to me the direct and
inevitable inference following from it
that II you have placed such confidence
IN the Irish people you are bound to
| pay some attention to the voice which.
thev give III response to your invitation.
Il these people, whom both parties, re-
| member, have united in clothing with
political poWer-if they desired larger
share OF self-goyernment, then I, for
one, contend, Oh the principle laid
down By Lord Salisbury himself at
Newport, that q larger share of self
government they ought to have.
(Cheers.) My Limitation is what it was
during the elections an extension OF
if-ggoyernment subject TO the limits
that are imposed uponi it by the safety,
the integrity, and the honor of the SOW
ereign realm as q whole. tCheers.) I
believe without exaggeTation that our
country has not stood in more serious
position for a generation. aud perhaps
for two or three generations. What is
the position? In 1928 the return Of 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, it the return, not Of one member
but the return ofs4 or Sc followers OF
Mr.. Parnell, should convince the Tory
government OF this day that you cam
not resist the Irish demand ofor a larger
measure of self-government. Hear,
hear. This is the question Is the
enormous and imposing majority which
Mr.. Parnell has obtained in Ireland to
count for nothing2 IF it is to count for
nothing, for how much is it to count
In the face of such return as this
election has given us, we are asked are
you going to hand over the loyal minor
ity to the so-called disioyal majority
Observe, they say, how much that min
ority is. 1t is exactly the size of that
which makes me feel that You
may With some safety extend salf-gov-
eminent to the country where itexists,
because SO large minority will be very
to cssrr
ests. Thatlis point which / venture
to think $500 much overlooked; Id I,
whether or not, / submit to you. as
OF the Liberalsof New
castle and OF the North of England
that the question that has been raised.
raised not Gu an unauthentic paragraph
in newspaper, but by the Irish cleo
lions, is question which once raised,
cannot slunber or sleep until you have
faced it and nanfully dealt
With it. (Cheers.) The Irish question
will continue to follow us, to battle us.
and to haunt us and impede us at every
urn, until we have shown how we are
gong to confront it. Look at the po-
'ition of ireland itself. / said just now
hat the Irish question was not raised
by newspaper paragraph. You have j
n ireland immense intimidation. You
lave every prospect that rents will not
,e paid. You have q good prospect
hat juries will not be found to convict
or agrarian oftenses at the csning
tssizes. The Times correspondent at
Dublin, who is himself a very strong
Tory, tells us that even the police, our
,Wn garrison, are suspected OF wilfui
apathy in the detection OF crime. DO
lot forget that Lord Salisbury himself
n his speech at Newport said distinct
y that he had come to the conclusion
hat intimidation in Ireland now was
Ike excommunjcation or iuterdict in
ne middle ages. 1T was one OF those
hings which it was vain to attempt by
egisiation to reach / do not think that
gu can put down the subtle, impalp-
bile force Of q surrounding public opin-
On by any number of dragons. AS for
ltering procedure, with a view to gag
r to silence the Irish members, am
or altering and reforming the pro-
edufe, but / do not believe you can de
: in any such way as to neutralize the
resence in our midst in the House Of
Commons OF those gentlemen speaking
land we know they do speak
be voice and wishes OF the Irish nation.
n considering this second project, do
OF leave out Of sight that great force
4 our affairs 1t is not a very whole
onle force, but 1t is always there, ana
on must make your reckoning with 1t
the restlessness Of parties (heaf,
ear The Liberals might do this, the
Dries would oppose it; the Tories
light do ii, and / would not be sur
rissd If the Liberals opposed it, AZ
II the third feature of that proposal,
wing them Provincial Councils, I put
iese proposals to you as a statement
the difficulty of the case. &c you
ant TO breed In the Irish people the
rtues Of citizenship, TO create 10 them
le fitness for self-xoyerDment, you
nst first Of all teach them responsi-