The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-04-14
A New Form of Home Rule Suggested.

A New Form Of Home Rule Suggested.
1t is plain to every ono that many practi-
cal difficulties are involved In the retention
OF Irish members at Westminster. although
this Is accepted as an Indispensable feature
of the coming project OF home rule. 1t
was reserved. however, for Mr.. r. T. REID.
a member of Parliament and an unflinching
supporter OF Mr. GLADSTONE. to point out a
particularly serious objection which had
previously been overlooked. He shows at
the Same time how this objection may DO
met without dlslocating the existing ad-
ministrative machinery. and no must.
therefore, be credited with having helped
to lay the groundwork for practicable
plan OF sclf-government for Ireland.
1t is assumed by Mr.. REID. as 1t is by all
English advocates OF Mr.. GLADsToNE's
purpose, that tho Irish members retained
at Westminster will speak and vote only
upon questions OF imperial concern. and
will leave the members for Great Britain
to deal with matters affecting only that
part Of tho United Kingdom. It Is taken
for granted that some method Of classify
ing legislation and Of difTerentiating i'm
perinl from British measures will be de-
viscd. We should have liked to have some
practical suggestions to that end. for we
do not believe the distinction will be easily
drawn, although it may not be beyond the
power OF constitutional lawyers. Suppos-
ing this to be attained. however. we are In
debted to Mr.. REID for pointing out that
the complications growing out OF the re-
tention of Irish members at Westminster
will have been by no means removed. For
Ministry commanding strong majority
to-day on questions relating solely to Great
Britain might be beaten tomorrow on q
matter Of imperial concern. Or reversely.
q Ministry might. through an alliance with
the Irish members. defy opposition in i'm
perlal affairs. while 1t would be In hope
less minority as regards questions Of local
interest upon which Irishmen would be de-
barred from voting. Such a state Of things
not only is possible. but would be so likely
to happen that 1t obviously needs to be
remedied in advance.
The threatened instability and mutabillty
Of Ministries might be averted in two ways.
be condemned. We refer to the suggestion
that the number OF so-called Cabinet Ques-
tions. which would impose on q whole Min
istry the duty Of resignation. should be
greatly narrowed. In what directions
should the narrowing take place? Mani
testify not within the field OF matters OF i'm
perial concern. for here. II anywhere the
doctrine OF Ministerial accountability Is
justified. Then the process OF exclusion
from the rank Of Cabinet questions would
have to be confined to measures in which
Great Britain only was interested. But the
inhabitants OF Great Britain. constituting
Us they do vast majority Of the population
OF the United Kingdom, would never brook
the continuance Of Ministry In Office after
it had been beaten in q division OF vital
moment to themselves. Suppose. for in
stance. a Ministry refused an extension OF
the powers vested in the English and
Scotch County Councils demanded by con-
siderable majority OF the British members.
If in the face Of such a peremptory sum-
mons the Ministry declined either to obey
or to resign. on the ground that with Irish
help it still commanded a majority on i'm
pcrial questions. tho British members
would feel that their Irish colleagues were
practically interfering with their local az
fairs. So far as these were concerned. the
capital principle OF parliamentary govern
mcnt. namely. the enforcement Of Mlnlste-
rial accountability to the legislature. would
have become imperative.
For these reasons one may dismiss the
notion OF limiting the number Of Cabinet
questions to measures of imperial quality.
The much more practicable alternative pro-
posed by Mr. REID. is the division OF the
Cabinet itself into classes OF Ministers. viz.
imperial Ministers responsible to tho whole
House OF Commons. and English or Scotch
Ministers accountable respectively to the
English or Scotch members only. To the
latter category would belong tho Home
Secretary, the Secretary Of State for Scot
land. and the Lord Chancellor. who Is at the
head OF a system OF laws applicable to Eng
land alone. The only Minister who might
be difficult to classify would be the Chan
cellor OF the Exchequer. who would be i'm
peral so far as the appropriations recon-
mended by him were applicable to imperial
affairs. but who would be British SO far as
his financial resources were obtained by the
taxation Of Great Britain alone With this
exception it should DO easy to divide the
members Of q Cabinet into two groups. one
OF which would In practice be the Executive
Committee Of the whole imperial assembly.
and the other the administrative organ OF
the British portion only. Thus marked Off.
the two groups would need to have no Joint
or corporate responsibility. The imperial
Ministers would go out. II beaten on ques-
tions within their competence; and 30. on
the other hand. would the British Ministers
when defeated on questions pertaining to
their specific field.
This suggestion OF Mr.. Reds is ono of
the most weighty among the recent contri-
buttons to the home rule discussion on the
constructive side. We have no doubt that
all such attempts to solve the constltu-
tional problems raised by tho home rule
proposal will DO welcomed by Mr.. GLAD
STONE. although for political reasons he
deems it exDedent to defer the publication
OF his own scheme until after the next gen.
eral election.
At His Old Profession.
Monsieur DE BUFFALO still displays that
fatal eyecutiye ability which paye him fame