The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-06-12
The Irish Government Bill Dropped.

back. Chicago will give the word to advance
The Irish Government Bill Dropped.
The withdrawal OF the Irish Local Gov
eminent bill by Mr.. BALFouR means. OF
course. that a dissolution OF Parliament Is
| close at hand. since that would be the only
| prctcxt for dropping a measure which late
| ly passed its second reading by majority
| OF ninety-two. Tho incident. however. has
n much larger significance; for nothing
compcls the Conservative leaders to dis
solve this month and they would have
been justified in postponing such step by
avowing determination to carry out the
| promise of substantial concessions to Ire
land which they made six years ago. Now.
on the other hand. they will be charged by
| the Glaistonians with processing to offer n
boon to the Irish people which even as u
mockcry they never intended to bcstow.
Tho treatment Of this measure by the
Uniouists has been curiously vacillating.
although in the end they rallied, as we have
said and enabled it TO pass its second read
ing by a surprising majority. The bill was
understood to have been forced upon the
Government by the leaders of the Dissident
pledged than the Tories to give Ire
land somo form OF local self-9overn-
mcnt. All of the Dissidcnt Liberals.
however. did not approve OF it: on
the contrary. their most influential
newspaper. tho Spectator. has opposed
it from first TO last. Mr.. BALFoUR intro
duccd the bill III n half-hcarted speech. and
the Loyaist minorityin Leinstcr. Munster.
and Cunnnught. though unrepresented in
Parliament except through Trinity College.
Dublin found means to express their con-
v!ction that the alleged safeguards afforded
them would in practice break down. 1t is
true that Mr.. 7. W. RUSSELL thought his
constituents might be able to turn the bill
to account. but rs ho was speaking for
those counties Of Ulster whore the Union
lists are prCponderant. his optimistic view
did not appear consoling to the Loyalists o
other sections. where they are outuumbcre,
three or four to one.
A division OF opinion was observable not
only in the Unionist ranks. but also among
the Irish Nationalists. Some of the latter
were inclined to accept the measure rs en-
bodying a meagre installment OF their
rights and to use it as an instrument for
able that in the division on the second read
ing thirty Irish Nationalsts who were pres
ent abstained from voting. Under such
circumstances nobody would have predict
cd the great majority given for the bill. and
this should doubtless be attributed partly
to the vigorous support Of the measure by
Mr.. CHAMBERLAIN. but more largely
ta tho speech OF Mr.. GLADSTONE
against it. 1t was matter OF the
utmost moment to Mr.. CHAMBERLAIN
to demonstrate that the bill was not iluso-
ry. for. when he deserted his old leader in
June. 1856. he proclaimed his desire to give
Ireland n very large measure OF local self
rule. 1t is probable that the thirty Nation
alist abstainers were influenced in some do
gree by his arguments that the preponder-
ant party in any Irish district could not he
effectively trammcled by the guarantees
intended to secure the rights OF the minori-
ty. He did not say this in so many words,
but it is an obvious deduction from his
statements. On the other hand Mr.. GLAD
STONE, by maintaining the opposite view in
a speech of remarkable vigor. rcassurcd the
wavering Tories and convinced them that
measure SO diStastcful to the Liberal lead
or must be good enough for them. Mr..
GLADSTONE insisted that so inyulncrable
were the safeguards provided for Unionist
minority. and so mischievous were the pow
crs Of interference lodged in the Lord
Lieutenant. that it would prove practically
impossible for Nationulists to control the
local government Of district, no matter
how large might be their majority. He
doubtless expected at the time that he
ill before dissolving Parliament. and he
intended to denounce them in the ensuing
canvass on the ground that they had prom
Used ireland bread and had given it stone
AS it turns out. they are unwilling to give
it even stone, lest some Irish DAVID should
make u weapon of it.
This. then. is the record of the SALISBURY
Government with regard to Ireland. 1t en-
dorsed the pledges Of substantial conces-
sions made by the Dissidcut Liberals and
1t has dishonored its endorsement. 1t
passed. soon after the meeting of this Par
Lament. a Coercion act. and has enforced it
with rigor for six years. 1t has appropri-
ated vast sum OF money for tho nominal
purpose Of converting occupers into peas
ant proprietors, but the arrangements for
distributing tho money have been made
avowedly in the interest of the landowners
1t has not made even n semblance Of an ap-
proach in the case OF Ireland to the County
Government acts bestowed upon England
and Scotland. 1t has promised to do solpe-
thing for the education OF the Catholic ma
jority Of tho Irish people. but this promise
also is likely to DO unfultlled. 1t has, In a
word. left the Irish problem Just where it
was six years ago. and it remains for Mr.
GLADSTONE TO solve it.
Hide 1t Away.