The record-union., 1891-07-30
HOME RULE IN IRELAND.


Ireland, which has been so often prom
ised since the Salisbury Government
came in, is now really contemplated, and
q bill embodying it is to be introduced at
the next session of Parliament. 1t will
in effect be an extension to Ireland Of the
laws already enacted giving greater power
to the local governing bodies in England
and Scotland. The wonder is that such
home rule was moi granted to Ireland at
the time the laws referred to were en-
acted. What possible objection there
could have been to it is not apparent.
The purpose of the English and Scotch
Acts was to relieve Parliament of large
amount of purely local legislation and
regulation which took up the time of that
body and might be accomplished much
better by the local authorities. 1t was
upon the same principle that the Consti-
tuition of California leaves it to the vari-
Gus municipal bodies in the State to regu-
late local affairs to suit themselves. The
only reason there could have been for
Withholding from Ireland the benefit of
these laws must have been distrust of
the Irish people, which we do not believe
was ever warranted. 1t placed Ireland
in an unfavorable position before the
world and must have been exceedingly
humiliating.
But the measure which is now to be
presented by Mr.. Balfour is really not
what is demanded by the Irish leaders
and their English allies. 1t is not ''home
rule'' in the sense they use the term, by
any means. They do not simply ask the
privilege of repairing road or building a
bridge without the consent and approval
of the imperial authority, but they wish
to have it recognized that they are dis
tinct race of people from the English,
with right to form their own institu-
tions, so long as these do not put the i'm
perial power in jeopardy or tend to make
Ireland a separate nation as regards
foreign powers. This is what they have
struggled for, and what they would have
accomplished long ago if it had not been
for the fear on the part of the English dis
senters that if the Irish were permitted to
govern themselves they would use their
liberty to promote the interests of the
Roman Catholic Church. This fear is the
sole support of the Liberal Unionist
party. The Tories do not need to consult
it, and if tolerable solution of the land
question could be arranged, the religious
question would not stand in the way of
the passage of home rule bill by Con-
servative votes.
There is no doubt, however, that the
agitation for home rule will go on, though
at present it will be under great disad-
vantages. Parnell is politically dead, and
no competent leader has yet appeared to
take his place; but some one will come
forward who will take the leadership and
carry on the warfare. The Tory papers
announce that Ireland is more peaceful
now than it has been for years, because of
the falling off in the contributions from
Irish-Americans, so-called. This may or
may not be true, for nobody on the out
side has any knowledge of these contribu-
tions. The probability is that there has
been falling off Of these contributions,
but it is also likely that they will be re-
newed again, and rise to their former
level as soon as the Irish party is again
in the field with competent leader who
has the confidence of those who sympa-
thise with Ireland in this struggle In
the end it is likely that home rule will be
secured by an alliance between the Irish
and the Tories.