St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-02-14
IRISH LEGISLATURE.
Provision for a Council and an
Assembly.

ASS6 IN Diy.
"What is the essence of the act CT
union? That essence is to be apprecl-
ated by comparing the constitution of
things found in the country before 1900
with the constitution of things now sub
Sisting in England. Before 1890 we had
two soVereignties in the country. One
Of those was collectively lodged in the
king, the houses of lords and commons
of England, and the other lodged in the
king and houses of lords and commons
Of Ireland. There was no more right
in true historical and legal sense in
the sovereignty residing in Great Brit
ain to interfere with the sovereignty of
Ireland than there was in the sover-
eighty of Ireland to interfere with the
sovereignty Of England. This bill re-
spects and maintains these rights
of sovereignty equally throughout
the entire range of the three
kingdoms. Then the bill constitutes
the Irish legislature. Power is granted
to the Irish legislature. which consists,
first of all. of legislative council; sec
ondly, of a legislative assembly empow-
cred to make laws for the peace, order
and good government OF Ireland, and in
respect to matters exclusively relating
to Ireland or to part thereof. That
power is subject to double limitation.
First of ALL 1t is subject to necessary
and obvious limitations imposing GER
tain incapacities on the Irish parlia-
ment, including ali that relates to the
crown. regency, or the vice royalty.
The subjects of peace and war, public
defense, treaties and foreign relations
dignities, titles, law and treason do not
belong to the Irish legislature. The
law OF alIenage does not belong to
it. nor everything that belongs to
external trade - the coinage and
other subsidiary subjects. Other inca
pacitieS are imposed similar to these
contained in the bill of 1886. These
provide for the security of religious
freedom, the safeguard of education and
for the security of personal freedom.
Then, coming to exclusive powers, we
retain the vice royalty OF Ireland, but
we divest it Of the party character
heretofore borne by making the APP
pointment run for six years, subject to
the revoking power of the crown. Then.
also. the post is freed from all religious
disability.
Then comes clause which may be
considered formal, although it is of
great Importance, providing for the
full devolution of executive power from
the sovereign upon the viceroy. Then
comes an important provision for the
appropriation of an executive com.
mittee of the privy council Of Ire.
land. We propose to make this an
executive council for the ordinary af-
fairs of the cabinet of the viceroy. The
question arises, shall there be any legls-
lative council? All decided that there
ought to be such a council. 1t has APP
peared to us to be highly inconvenient
to alter the numbers of the legislative
assembly. If we were toincrease the
number we do not know what the in
crease ought to be. Ii we were to re-
duce it we run serious risks of causing.
practical Inconvenience in Dublin, espe
cially at the time when the functions of
internal government come to be newly
exercised and when probably there will
be great deal to do. We therefore
leave the number at los, and we fix the
term at five years. We leave the con-
StituenCV as it is nOW''