New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-03-19
THE NEWS OF EUROPE.
PROGRESS OF THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST MIR.
GLApSTONE'S HOME RULE SCHEME.

IN IRELAND-THE CHANNEL TUNNEL
WHAT FRANCE HAS LOST IN TIE
DEATH OF JULES FERRY.
lBY CABLE 70 THE rRBuxE.l
fopyrient 1898 By The Tribune association.
London, March ls.-Thc attempt TO coerce the
House of Commons has been abandoned. and the
failure of the attempt is complete. The most
.oxerful Minister of modern times is not power
.r, enough for that. There il to be no second
.,,dng of tie Home Rule bill before Easter.
nm motion is not 10 be made. There is to be no
d.bate till after the Easter holidays
The resistance of the minority has been effect
I've Mr.. Gladstone, old Parliamentary hand as
Se is. has learned new lesson. He has learned
that powerful minority has rights which it can
force powerful Ministry to respect. II is of
.ood omen for minOritics outside as well as inside
the House of Commons. 1t is a respite for Ulster.
7. NAV be repricve II may bc the ultimate
Aviation of the Protestant minority Of Ireland,
and of her great business communities, of her in
dustres of her general prosperity, all menaced
Sv Home Rule. Nobody can say how far the
ultimate influence of this one act OF successful re-
si.tance TO legislative tyranny may reach.
do not suppose il once entered Mr.. G'adstonc's 5
mind that his plans could he successfully with
stoed at this early stage. He put down the
.econd reading of his Home Rule bill for the
,s,h. two DAYS before the fatal ldcs of March.
ALI through the previous wcc! the minority pro-
tested Their protests took form 20 practical
that the majority raised the cry OF obstruction
The Opposition claimed at any rate the right to
fe heard, the right TO debate the ancient constl-
tutional privilege that grievances should prccHde
mpply. They insisted that the country should
have time 10 consider the great constitutional
change which a great Minister, by unlimited use
Of an almost unlimited personal authority. was
seeking to force through Parliament.
DO Americans who sympahize with Home
Rule. and applaud Mr. Gladstone's methods. realiz'
what il all means? DO they understand that tins
Home Rule bill proposes a change of the Organic
law Of tine Kingdom. which in America could
enly be effected by Constitutional Amcndmcnt
Do they ever draw the contrast between tie en-
forced deiberaton, the series OF lelsursN i'e'S'a
tive processes. tic obligatory reference 20 State
legislatures, the long period OF tire which III
America must necessarily eiapse before any con-
tested Amendment can he adopted-do 'hey'
ask contrast this with the railroad speed at which
an imperious Minister in England has nccn Trying
IN rush through a revolutionary measure?
II is no answer to say that Home Rule mas pech
seven wears before the country. 80 might TN"
nr,ncinle Of a constitutional Amendment in Amer
lea But Home Rule means one thing to-day
and another Tomorrow IL meant one thing In
1896 il means very different thing in 1898
In the interval nobody knew what II meant.
tn. nresent bill was introduced on February H.
II is a long and most complicated bill, not TO ne
mastered all az once, nor the full meaning an"
far-rcaching effects of its forty clauses ana seven
schedules to he grasped without long study. iet
in exactly one month from that date the House OF
Commons was asked 10 begin debate on the second
reading. and the debate was 10 come to an END I'D
fortnight, other business proceeding at the same
time At the end of fortnight the House was
expected to say aye TO the vsstest proposal OF
constitutional revolution which has been made in
this country for more than two hundred years.
II was to affirm the principle, to take the step
which can never be retracted.
1t is more than a ques'ion Of principle. II Is
question also of public opinion England is
admittedly hostile to the change Great Britain
is hostile The opinion and will Of Great Britain
are 70 be overriddcn by the Irish vote. The con-
tract of Legislative Union between Great Britain
and Ireland is to be set aside at the Will OF one
PARTY TO it, and that the weakest party, against
the oft-declarcd and indisputable desire OF the
other and stronger The more the bill l. studled
the less it is liked, and the stronger grows the
opposition 10 it, both in England and in Ireland
1t must ultimately stand or fall WIN puphc
opinion But what Mr. Gladstone has atteilip"i
Is TO use his ajority in the House to antlcpa'c
public opinion, to nullify in advance that final
decision of the people which day by day was be-
tag more plainly declared
Such arc the circumstances in which inc
Cnionist minority has rcsorted 70 what Is called
obstruction. 1t has not been obstruction IN 'he
sens. which that word has acquired
since the Irish appeared on the scene ana tie
yeloped il into a science Bui suppose il had
been These are revolutionary times. If re"olu-
ttonayy methods are employed by the majority, IS
the minority 10 he deiarred from u5Inc them
also What the minority have really done Is to
insist, by fair parliamentary methods on 1alr par
liamentary opportunities of debate. That is what
Mr.. Gladstone has had 10 conccdc Ills arbitrary
will dashed Itself to pieces against the unbroken
from, of a minority of 2l3, and wheh nc s~' '"o
game WAS up, he took to his Ded
II devolyed on Sir William lIarcourt u an
nounce the surrender lie announced 1t III the
Prime Minister'S name lie seemed to wish 10
dissocia;e himself from the decision. NOBODY
knows better than Sir Willam-unlrsS IL DC
Mr. Gladstone hin,sclf-that the decision turheu
solely on the courage and resolution ol 'nc
Cnionist minority The end WAS reached ~ soon
Is they had made up their minds TO dclen'
10 the utmost their own rights, the ri9ht OF ''e
country to make up its mind. and pronounce ne
purpos. and the lights of the minority III ireiah''
Even with Home Rulc temporarily shcNe"'
the business of tho House OF Commons has peeh
neither unimror,an. nor uninters'ing. Iio'ic hu'c
bills may lie sliclved, but to put Iiisii Questions
or Irish Members of Parliament on smell pas',''
the wit OF man There was on Monday "hoic
evenings debate on the report oi the n'i1'o'
Tenants Commission. To the report an Ehsii'"
Judge Of distinction, not acting In his Juoio'',
capacity, has set his namc. But no name an"
no authority, nor the best Intentions on ."
James Mathews part, can alter us c""'"o'.'
The Commission had one main opJcc,' 10 '''o'
from the Just penalty oil 'heiI
Gicity in criminal conspiracy Wv
anti vho h.d ,,too mart i'm the Plan Of Cam