New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-08-04
THE IRISH DEBATE.

THE IRISH DEBATE.
The exciting debates in the House of Com
mons this week have left Ministers in a sorry
plight. The Parnel Commission bill has been
carried without modification, but only after
an arbitrary application of the closure and with
steadily diminishing maiorities On Thursday
night the normal Government majority of 10
ran down to AZ against an amendment for
discretionary use of the closure rule by the
chairman; then dropped to "a against prop
osition to investigate the circumstances of the
original publication of the charges against the
Irish members in "The London Times; and
finally dwinded to Is against motion di-
recting the Commission to begin Its work by
inquiring into and reporting upon the au-
thenticity Of the letters claimed to be toIgenes'
These votes show that the Government were
barely able to whip in their own supporters
for the passage of the measure Ministers were
convicted, moreover, of bad faith in suppress
ing important words in the original text, and
in gradually converting what was vouched Tor
as scheme of impartial justice into measure
distinctly hostile to the Irish members and dis
advantageous to them in many respects. The
enforcement of the closure in these ciroum-
stances was alike arbitrary and unjust. Mn
listers have reason to lock back with mingled
feelings of shame and dismay upon the dis
creditable scenes of the weeks debate.
In its general bearings this discussion has
disclosed the shallowness and dishonesty OF
Unionist methods of dealing with Ireland.
Home Rule has been opposed on the broad
ground that Ireland is an integral part of the
United Kingdom, and that its representatives,
having all the rights and privileges of Imperial
legislators have no reason to complain if they
are not allowed to establish a separate Parlia-
ment in Dublin. Throughout the long con-
tloversy it has been asserted on the unioniSt
side that the island had its fair share of repre-
sentation biased on population) in the Imperial
Parliament, and that the Irish members wero
Justly dealt with and not exposed to hostile
discrimination. The logic of this contention
has been that neither the island nor its con-
stitutiOnal representatives were deprived OF
their rights at Westminster, and consequently
that there was no injustice involved in the re-
fusal of the English members to sanction a
second Parliament and thereby to promote
separatist tendencies and disunion. The force
Of this well-worn argument is seriously I'M
paired by this rancOrOus debate and the hostile
legislation which gave rise to it. The Irish
members were entitled to an impartial inveSti
CATION of the charges made against them. They
should have been allowed to debate the meas
ure clause by clause. Their rights as members
Of the Imperial Parliament should have been
respected and protected. The investigation
should not have been directed in spirit hostile
to them and markedly favorable to their ac-
cusers. They should have had fair play. This
/ fbo,, bovo not bod Vbov hovo bod M yoica in
arranging the details or in limiting the scope
Of the investigation. The jury Of three judges
| has been formed without their consent They
were gagged and silenced by premature en-
| forcement of closure. The proceedings have
vitiated the Unionist clam that Ireland and
its representatives are not Disseminated against
at Westminster.
Then there is another and equally impressive
moral to be drawn from these scenes of recrim-
ination and evil passion. The Unonst allies
have utterly failed to reconcile Ireland and its
representatives to the existing system. No
progress has been made since the defeat of the
Home Rule measure. For two years, it is true,
the proceedings of Parliament have been more
decOrOus obstruction tactics have ceased, there
have been few outbreaks from the Irish
benches, and English legislation has proceeded
without serious interruption. There were sur
! face indications of an improvement in the re-
lations of the English and the Irish. But no
dependence was to be placed on these evil
dences, since the conditions of the Liberal
alliance with the Parnellites imposed self
restraint upon the Irish party. At last under
! the pressure of this debate the Irish nature is
stirred to its depths. The Parnellites are again
! defiant, passionate and resentful. Their leader
with face livd with anger alternately re-
proaches Ministers for their breaches of faith
and denounces the English majority for their
rancorous hostility to everything that is dear
to the hearts of Irishmen. Never in the
! palmiest days of Obstruction has the conflict
seemed so utterly irreconcilable as it does this
week. Two years Of Coercion under Unionist
auspices have only served to embitter the Irish
nature and to widen the breach between hos
tile races. No real progress toward reconciia-
! ton has been made meme will be possible until
! Mr. Gladstone returns to power.
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