St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-08-10
He Resents the Imputation
That His Party Is Con-
trolled by Ireland.
The Majority in the House No
! More Irish Than Scotch
or Welsh.
MIR. BalfOur Follows the Lib
eral Leader With Much
Bitterness.


bench. His appearance in the house
was the signal for ringing cheers from
his adherents OH the floor and his adj
mlrers in the galleries. When Mr..
Gladstone arose he was greeted with
loud and prolonged cheering by the
members of the opposition. Mr.. Glad
stone opened his speech by referring to
the procedure of the government in
departing from precedents in not re-
signing when the verdict of the coun-
try was against them. The house had
met, MI. Gladstone said. but they did
not know for what. The queens speech
was read. Was it fact, he said, that
the Judgment of the nation was without
appeal? Was the house of commons to
hghtthe battles of the last six years
over again? Never had there been
great issue submitted to the country,
that had been so fully discussed, as
the issue decided at the last general
election. The government was per-
fectly aware of that. They knew we'll
that majority of the house had come
prepared to give effect to the verdict of
their constituents. They could not do
otherwise. Turning to
The Matter of Home Rule
he said Mr.. Goschen had said that home
rule must be carried by an Irish major
ity if it were carried at all. In point of
fact the majority in the house was no
more Irish than Scotch or Welsh. No
body had any title to distinguish votes
for the purpose of invaiidating the de-
cislOn of the house or country. Such
an argument struck at the root of the
United Kingdom. There certainly was
sense III which parliament was justi-
he'd in examining votes. That was
when scheme was proposed that af-
fected fundamentally any part of the
country; for example, it was customary
to give effect to the wishes of the people
OF Scotland. The observations about
the Irish majority were in difference
to bad tradition. Those making
them would not venture to make
similar ones about any other part
of the United Kingdom. The fact that
the majority was Irish was recon-
mendation. rather than otherwise.
I[Cheers from the Irish members.1 AS
to the coming government, it would be
time to critisise its words and deeds
when it came into Office. not while 1t
remained nebulOus hypothesis. The
Conservatives said that in the Liberals
speeches home rule was not always
prominent. The verdict of the country
had shown that the people meant it to
be prominent. and therefore to put an
end to the present government. The
supporters Of the government made
mucn of the peace now prevailing in
Ireland, holding that it was due to CO.
ercion. The tendency toward peace be-
gan in 1885, with the better prospect of
home rule; though after the present
government came into power there
was
Bad State of Affairs
in 1856. partly arising from agricultural
depression. Mr.. Gladstone added that,
in justice to the government, he must
they did toward relieving the distress
by the land act of 1887, but that came
too late. 1t was not associated with the
administration of laws in harmony with
the sympathies of such people. A per-
petual coercion act not only violated
civil rights between Englishmen and
Irishmen, but was in the highest degree
Injurious to respect for the law and its
administration. As he had been asked
questions respecting the continuance of
coercion,he would reply at once that the
coercion bill ought not be retained on
the statute book longer than required
by parliamentary usage.
MIR. Gladstone then proceeded to refer
to the government legislation. He
credited them with the conversion of
the national debt, but complained that
they had inflicted on Ireland gross
wrong in making her pretended repara-
ton by a local government bill too
limited to satisfy Irish wants or TO offer
any solution of the Irish troubles.
Passing from these matters, Mr.. Glad
stone acknowledged that the debate
could not he altogether retrospective.
You must have some
Light Upon the Future.
1t was not possible for Liberal gov
eminent to say what measures they
would submit to parliament six months
hence. In regard to the suggested hold
ing of session in November. he could
hardly say that any government taking
that course would show an inadequate
sense of the magnitude and variety of
the subjects it had to deal with. At
tempts had been made to contrast the
claims of Ireland as against the claims
of Great Britain to the attention of par
lament. Much could be said on both
sides, but the claims of Ireland had for
years been in the forefront of the
battle, and still held that po-
sition. Opposition cheers The
principles of his home-rule bin were
pretty we'll known. By its provisions
there would be full and etfectual
maintenance of imperial supremacy,
while Ireland would be given the con-
duct of her own affairs. Irish repre-
sentation in the house of commons was
also contemplated under certain condi-
tions. AS to the form in which these
principles would be embodied it was
the duty of the Liberals to select the
best form, but not until they had been
placed in power. The bill for seven
years had his primary and absorbing
interest, and it would so continue to the
end. [Cheers.] The house would adj
dress itself seriously to bill giving
Ireland Self.GOvernment.
1t would pass the house of commons
and then go to the house of lords. He
would not argue upon the probability of
the house of lords rejecting the bill. If
the measure passed the house of COM
mons, springing out of continuous
controversy lasting seven years, which
had been carried on with zeal and abil-
stances, never would the house of lords
importance to the empire at large, never
a greater question to themselves. The
obligations of a Liberal government
would utterly forbid acquiesence
in the rejection Of those obli-
cations. To promote the settlement
of great subject it would
remain unweakened and unchanged.
At the same time it would be necessary
to deal in 1898 with sensible portion of
British wants. the demand for which
had grown accelerated. [Cries of Hear!
hear!'l He reminded the house that
the Liberals had been vainly trying to
pass various measures of reform while
in opposition. Speaking broadly, these
represented the essential character of
the Liberal policy, and in conjunction
with, or rather in subsection to, the
great question between England and
Ireland had received the
Distinct Appreciation
Of the couftru Refarrinp tn the am.