The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1893-02-18
Mr.. GLADSTONE SPEAKS.
Crowds flock TO Commons TO Hear
Home Rule Eill introduced

Crowds Flock TO Commons TO Hear
Home Rule Bill introduced
LONDON, Feb. I3.-There was a mad
rush to-day to hear Gladstone speak.
Mr. Gladstone entered the House OF
commons at halt-past ). Every Liberal
ana lrlsh Nationalist in the House
stood up and greeted him with pro-
longed and enthusiastic cheers. When
Mr.. Gladstone arose at Is minutes past
) to introduce the home rule bill
there was another demonstration 20
earnest, so enthusiastic and irrcpress-
lole that il Was several minutes before
he could be heard.
Mr.. Gladstone spoke Us follows. in a
clear, strong and resonant voice:
| may, without impropriety. remind the
House that the voices which usually
pleaded the cause of Irish Self-gOycrrmrur
III Irish affairs, have within these walls.
during the last seven years. been almost
entirely mute. l return, therefore. to the
period OF 1896. when proposition of TINS
Kind was submitted on the part of the roy
eTnment OF the day. and beg to remind
the HouSe of the position tlcn taken by
a.! the promoters OF these measures. We
said tnat we had arrived at a point in our
transactions with Ireland where the
two roads parted. "Iou have"
the other" One is the way CT Irish
autonomy according 10 the conceptions
nave Just referred 10: the other Is the WAY
OF coercion. That IS our contention. ii
Will be the recollection of the House now
that that contention was most StoutIy and
largely denied. 1t was SAID over and
over agan by many members opposite:
I'VE are not COercionIStS; we 10 not
reject that alternative, and neither can We
adopt it, Ministerial cheers. That
assertion of theirs was undoubtedly
sustained by the proposals, especial
of various plans dealing with Irish
fell entirely short in princlplg
and in scope of Irish sclfgoS trnmeut.
yet were of 10 trivial or mean
Importance. They went far heyond what
had heretofore been usually proposed iii
land
Wei, what has been the result of the
dilemma as II was then put forward on this
side of the House and repellcd hy the
other? las our contention thatt the choice
lay between autonomy and coercion
been JuSuStled or not? Liberal cheers.
W hat has become of each aud all OF those
important schemes IOT giving Ireland
Selfgoycrnment in provinces, and
giving h0r even central cS-
tablshment in DubIia with limited
l.,
the reality remains. The roads were still
theIc-autOnOmy or coercion. The choice
lay between them, and the choice maze was
TO repel autonomy and embrace coercion.
! on cannot always follow coercion in an
absolutely uniform method.
In 1856, for the first time, coercion was
imposed on Ireland IN The shape of a per
mancnt law added to The statute book.
This state OF things constituted an Offend
ing against tie harmony and traditions Ut
seif-goyernncnt. There was distinct and
violent breach OF promise OF taIth by
which union was obtained. That perma-
Eent system of repression intIIrtcd upon
the country state of things which could
not continue to exist. Ii vas impossible
to bring the inhabitants Of the country
under coercion INTO sympathy with the CO.
erClUn power.
1t Is 10 me astonishing that so little
weight is attached by many to the fact
that before lSSi-bcforc lSN5, indeed Irish
wishes of Sclt-gOyernment were TcpIe-
sented only by a small minority. Since
lhs5, when the wide extension OF the
franchise was protected by the secret
ballot, Ireland position has been I'M
proved IN Parliament. In 1856 there were
80 Nati0naIiStS, or more than tye-eighthS.
lCheersl. !. They have been reduced from
So To 50 under circumstances somewhat
peculiar lhear, hcar; and | must frankly
own TO myself, among others, for reasons
Loud cheers. Let us look at the sta'c OF
the case as il now stands. There are but
50 out of 100; that Is to say, the wishes OF
Ireland for Irish selt-gOvernment in Irish
matters are represented only by
four-fifths.:, Laughter. The honor
able gentlemen seem to have no Tc-
spect for such 4 majority as that.
DO they recOlect, sir, that never in En-
gland has there been such a majority ?
lCheerS.l No Parliament OF the last fifty
years has come within measurable distance
of it. If there be anything in the
great principle of Self-governmcnt, when,
if it be reality. never can work eX-
cept through the machinery and by
the laws of representation, at any rate the
voice of the Irish people, the jc"SlStCncy
Of the Irish people in delivering tag voice,
and the peaceful CONSTITUTIONS. C.;"Lm-
stances under which It has been G3-Ii:.td
ministerial cheers and opposition lI-., -
ter constitute great fact in history.
1t is said-and / admit with truth-that
Ireland is not a united country. | don't
deny that the division which exists
is fact of great moment. In
truth, were Ireland united, anything
that can render Ireland formidable would
become much more formidable. Were
ireland united all opposition would van
iSh, as a shadow. Hear, hear. Ireland
Is not united III this sense, that in one pur-
tiOn OF the country not mere majority of
the higher classes but considerable pop
ular feeling is opposed TO the present na-
tlOnal movement.
| will not attempt to measure this numcr-
ical strength of the minority. 1t IS SAID
by the party opposite that the minority
in the North of Ireland is arraycd
III unalterable opposition to home
rule. Unhappily at the successful
instigation of those whose plot it was to di-
vide the people OF Ireland when they
were united at the close of the last Gen.
tury, through the medium mainly OF
Orange lodges and through religious AM
mostly, there was an alteration of feeling,
but the PrOteStantS of ireland. during the
period OF the INDEPENDENT Irish Parliament,
were themselves not only willing but
Jealous and enthusiastic supporters of
Irish nationality. Inasmuch as their poll
teal life was at that period more highly
developed, they led on the Roman tathO-
lie population IN the political movement
This is written broadcast upon the history
of time. Genuine national sentiment,
in the sense Of national unity, had
at one time prevailed among the North Of
Ireland Protestants. We who have seen
them alter, not through their own fault,
are not ready to be persuaded that they
will not alter back again to the sentiments
OF their own ancestors ICheeTS and with
their own blood and their own people form
one, in noble, glorious unity.
Abiding to English feeling toward ds
Irish home rule, Mr.. Gladstone said he
would refrain from urging that England
would find herself exhausted, and her
work made unpracticable by resistance
to Irish demands. He could well con-
ccive England maintaining, if so mind
ed, resistance to Irish demands, but
England's conversion to home rule had
been rapid.
1t was o'clock when Mr.. Gladstone
concluded his sneech
CABLE CAR RUNS AWAY.