Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-08-05
PROSPECTS OF HOME RULE.
Confidence Of the Liberals Brought Out ut .
Dinner to MI. Blake.

| PROSPECTS OF HOME RULE.
Confidence of the Liberals Brought Out ut q
| Dinner to Mr.. Blake.
The Eighty Club gave dinner last night in
London to Edward Blake, formerly premier OF
Ontario and leader of the liberal party in Can.
ada, who was returned to the house Of COM
mons from the south division Of Longford in
the recent elections.
Mr. James Bryce, member Of parliament for
the south division Of Aberdeen, presided at the
! dinner. In the Introductory speech which he
delivered he said that although the liberal ma
jority was small it was full Of fighting spirit.
The one main object Of the liberal party was the
attainment Of home rule for Ireland. There
fore the liberals welcomed a new and powerful
ally in the person of Hon. Edward Blake, who
brought from Canada a keen intelligence. large
experience as . statesman and q sound judg-
ment which would be valuable aids in the solu-
ton of the Irish problems.
Mr.. Blake in responding to the remarks OF
MIR. Bryce recalled the fact that the last time he
was present at the Eighty Club, the occasion
being dinner in 1885, he sat beside Mr.. Charles
Stewart Parnel, who, he said, was Q leader of
men who compelled rather than conciliated the
admiration of the masses. Despite all draw
backs be would retain great place in history.
the good faith of his liberal allies and his sim
certify in his adherence to moderate constitu-
tional courses. He believed that Ireland was
on the eve of realizing the results that Mr.. Par
nell fought for. The combined efforts of the
liberal sections were certain to attain the COM
mon objects they had in view. 1t was well that
each Of the allied forces recognizes the con-
ditions under which the other il constituted.
The Irish party was created and maintained
for definite object under a strict system of
discipline allowing only limited latitude. Ex-
perience had shown the truth of the assertion
that the Irish interests in the imperial parliament
required limited system. The parliamentary
weapons forged under Mr. Parnell's leadership
had such weight. solid in temper and keenness,
had wrought such great things for Ireland that
the liberals had taken up the Irish cause in an
honorable and cordial alliance, creating a
friendly feeling between the Irish and British
democracies. The might Of Mr.. Parnell 9
weapons may have been lessened, but even now
they were fully adequate for the original pur-
pose tor which they were intended.
He hoped that the Irish minority would ulti-
mately see that the tactics of the majority we're
sound. Every one had the interests of ireland
Mt heart and desired the passage Of an effective
home rule bill. 1t might not be that every de-
tail Of the measure would be exactly what some
1rishmen would like. but, as Mr.. Parnell had
once said, any sound measure would be cheer
fully accepted. II they worked with desire
u u
would give them field for action in Ireland
which would produce 80 great feeling Of con-
tentment in that country that there would be
neither time nor inclination for captious criti-
cism or factious agitation. Mr.. Blake also said
that the Canadians had a material interest in
the settlement Of the Irish question. Like tho
people Of every English-speaking nation they
had been troubled about the matter OF home
rule. But they were actuated with q nobler
spirit than that of self-interest.
They remembered the American revolution
airy struggle for home rule and the development
Of home rule in the Canadian possessions and
sympathized with the condition of a nation of
fellow-subjects entitled to and refused self gov
ernment England tried the experiment GEN.
fury ago Of giving Canada sole self-government
without the essential condition that the execu-
tive should be responsible to and therefore con-
trolled by the people. That was done under
the fear that they were incapable of seif-govern-
ment and that the majority. being of the same
race and creed, would use the power thus OBJ
tanned to Cypress the so-called loyal minority.
But the system caused gross abuses, discon-
tent and agitation, and, on the advice Of an
able commissioner, the government, in 1S41,
gave q fuller measure Of home rule, which
largely secured the contentment and affection
Of the Canadians. Since then the blemishes
contained in the measure have been removed
as experience guided.
The capital error was the legislative union of
upper and lower Canada. which failed to extin-
guish the French national feeling and broke
down after twenty-five years trial, when the
federal union was substituted.
The results fully justified the advocates of
home rule. The hostility, jealousy and opposi-
ton Of the two provinces have disappeared
Doubtless the constitution Of Canada had a
seamy side. He belonged to the party num-
bering half the population which had for twenty
years been the opposition, and he believed the
policy OF the government was wrong and inju-
rious. Yet the attachment to home rule was
not confined to the dominant party. The mi
nority had rather be misgoverned at home for
the moment than well governed from abroad.
They had powerful Orange party and bigoted
Catholics and Protestants, but the sober, set
tied thought of the people proved the general
adhesion to the principle of civil and religious
liberty and equal rights. Minorities through
out the world were apt to be suspicious and ex-
acting. He himself believed that the duty OF
the majority included the moral obligation to
give the minority not a grudging measure of
strict justice, but a full. overlooking measure,
This was the principle he had expounded to
Irish meetings with enthusiastic acceptance
He was convinced that the respect, LOYALTY and
affection Of the mass Of the Canadians toward
the united kingdom owed their vitality and
their strength to the concession of home rule.
[Cheers.l
The difficulties in the case Of Canada did not
exist In Ireland. Ireland had great imperial
interests in common with England. While she
could not claim to participate in the decisions
Of England's great affairs she would be I'M
worthy Of herself if she did not take a share in
the imperial affairs.
Therefore she strongly opposed the exclusion
Of Irish members from Westminster, which was
indefensible in principle and dangerous in
tendency. He rejoiced that it had been elimi-
mated from the present home rule proposals,
and that the supremacy Of the imperial parlia-
ment would continue, because while it was
hoped that the imperial parliament would not I'M
necessarily NEEDLE with decisions Of the Irish
parliament, yet in the highly improbable case
Of ultra wires legislation being proposed pre-
judicial to the general interests Great Britain
could always exercise plenary parliamentary
authority, and might insert executive powers Of
reservation and disallowance in case Of such
semergencies. He hoped the home rule bill
would embrace a final settlement of the land
question.
There were also great British social, labor
and electoral questions which he thought might
be grapplcd with during the lifetime OF the
present parliament. When the home rule bill
was launched and moving steadily along he
would welcome the progress in its wake OF
other pressing legislation which would give the
masses Of Ireland, through their representatives
in parliament, an opportunity to show their
sympathy with the just demands Of the British
people. TCheera