The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-02-18
Lord Salisbury's Ideas.

Lord SALISBURY Is generally regarded as
| q clear-headed and sober-minded man. but
| some Of his recent utterances do not exhibit
| him In that character. In his speech ut
Exeter. the text OF which is now before us.
he said that the bestowal OF homo rule on
Ireland would place that country In the
hands OF the Catholic priesthood, a result
which. he intimated. would be fraught with
peril alike to the Irish Professionals and to
the conference Of the United Kingdom. He
also asserted that the moment England
should concede local self-government to
Ireland. all the British colonies would say !:
"Now Is the time for US to shake of the
alone and independent in the world" An
other extraordinary statement was made
by the Conservative Prime Minister the
other day in the House Of Lords. when he
averred that. II Mr.. GLADSTONE should
carry Home Rule bill through the House
of Commons. it would be the duty Of the
upper House to throw out the bill not once.
but many times. thus imposing upon the
country q series Of general elections all
turning on single question.
Let US look first at the notion that the
lives or property OF Professionals would be
in danger and that separatist tendencies
would be encouraged by the concession OF a
State Legislature to Ireland. owing to the
preponderance OF Catholics and the influ-
ence Of the priesthood in that country. On
this point it is sufficient to say that. II there
were any ground for such prediction. it
would have been already verified on this
side Of the Atlantic in the province OF Que
bee. The Catholics outnumber the Profess
tants more largely in Quebec than they do
in ireland. and under the provisions of the
treaty Of 1868. reaffirmed in the Quebec act,
the Roman Catholic hierarchy possesses
resources and q degree OF power In that
province greater than 1t now retains in any
European country. Moreover. in the prov
ince OF Quebec the difference OF religion is
aggravated by differences of race and Ian
guage. Nevertheless. Quebec enjoys the
precise form Of local self-government which
the Gladstonians propose to confer on Ire
land, and under the workings Of that polit-
ical system the Professionals have nothing
to complain of. and the province has proved
the mainstay Of the Conservative party in
the Dominion Parliament. II any sep
aratist tendencies are now beginning to
show themselves in Quebec. 1t is because the
stitution Of the province by arbitrarily dis
missing tho Prime Minister. Mr.. MERCER.
without waiting for vote Of censure from
the Provincial Legislature.
Still less warranted by facts seems Lord
SALIsBURY's assertion that the concession
OF local self-government to Ireland would
cause British colonies all over the world to
extinguish the last vestige OF connection
with the mother country. On priori
grounds we should look for contrary feel
ing in Australasia, South Africa. and Cam
ada. and We have positive evidence to justi-
fly the expectation. The danger OF friction
between the reserved powers OF the Crown,
exercised on the advice Of the British Prime
Minister. and the powers delegated to any
given colony, Is lessened in proportion TO
the number and Importance of the colonies
interested in liberal construction of their
rights. Tho danger is minimiZed by an ap-
plication OF the local self-governmcnt prin-
ciplc to n part of the United Kingdom itself.
especially as this is likely to involve re-
construction OF the British Constitution on
a Federal plan. The prospect Of Ireland's
enjoying home rule should. therefore. de-
light the British colonists. not only because
imitation Is the sincerest fattery. but be-
cause IL gives new guarantees OF stability
to their local institutions. Their satisfac-
ton. which might have been inferred from
the nature of the case. has been repeatedly
demonstrated by resolutions OF the Cana
dian and Australian Legislatures. advocat-
ing the bcstowal upon Irshmcn of privi-
lcgcs equivalent to those which British col
onists themselves enjoy As for South
f,iaa not nDlv has n similar ranorp m
ton been made by the Legislature OF the
Cape Colony. but by far the largest pecuni-
sry contribution ever received BY the Irish