The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-08-03
Professor Goodwin Smith on tho Home
Rule Bill.

Mr.. W. w. AsToR's London paper. the Pail
Mall Gazette. is printing series OF articles
by eminent writer's on what it terms the
case against home rule. Some of these
! essays. as. for instance. those furnished by
Lord SALISBURY and Mr.. BALFoUR. contain
nothing new or interesting. being restate-
ments Of well-known opinions. more or less
tinged with partisan purposes. On the
other hand. an article by Professor GOLD
WIN SMITH deserves careful attention.
because he alone Of the Pail Nalrs contribu-
tors is familiar with the real or supposed
analogues to Mr.. GLADsToNRs project Of
home rule for Ireland, presented in the
American and Canadian systems.
We can refer at present to but one Of the
arguments advanced by Mr.. GOODWIN
SMITH. an argument whose apparent CO.
gency Mr.. GLADSTONE himself would not
dispute. The subject Of criticism is the
feature of the Home Rule bill as amended
in committee. which. while RELOCATING the
local affairs Of Ireland to a Dublin leSisla-
ture. allows ireland to send to Westminster
eighty representatives clothed with the full
powers of members Of Parliament, and at
liberty. therefore. to vote on questions az
fccting the purely local interests of England.
Wales. and Scotland. 1t ID with reference
to this feature that Mr.. GOODWIN SMITH
contradcts Mr.. EDWARD BLAKE's assertion
that Canada Is a unit in its sympathy with
Mr.. GLADSTONE and in favor OF home rule
for Ireland. 1t is on the contrary, affirmed
that the citizens Of the Canadian Dominion
or OF the American Union would repudiate
aproposal that one province or State should
have Legislature Of it's own for its domes-
tic concerns. and should, at the same time,
send number OF representatives to an
assembly which was to legislate ON the
domestic concerns Of another province or
State. The truth OF this affirmance will
not be impugned by any American
citizen who thoroughly comprehends the
situation that will be created by the
amended Home Rule bill. should 1t become
a law. To cast the light OF analogy on that
situation. 1t would DO necessary to assume
the following state OF things on this side OF
the Atlantic Let US suppose that the great
State OF New York has no State Govern
ment. the functions OF its Legislature
and Executive being exercised by the Fed
eral authorities at Washington. Let us
suppose. on the other hand. that New Jersey
has State Government. to which belongs
the exclusive management OF its local az
fairs. Would the citizens OF New York for
a moment tolerate an arrangement by
which. while New Jersey retained Legis-
lature and an Executive OF her own at
Trenton. her representatives In the Federal
Congress had the same power as those OF
New York to deal with questions exclusively
affecting New York's local interests2 Let
such question be clearly put to any New
Yorker. and his negative answer would be
prompt and peremptory.
There Is something. nevertheless. to be
said on the other side. That which 1t would
be absurd to ask Of New York in the case
We have supposed may be much less I'M
reasonable in the case Of Ireland to ask OF
England. both from considerations Of expe-
diency and on historical grounds. AS re-
CARDS expediency. the provision that the
eighty members sent from Ireland to West
minister shall vote upon all questions Is
ayowedly the outcome OF compromise
with present exigencies; 1t is provisional
and temporary 1t does not profess to be
definite and final. 1t was accepted by the
Prime Minister himself only as makeshift
and in the last resort. The Home Rule bill
of seven years ago excluded Irish members
altogether from Westminster. The present
bill. In the form which 1t wore when 1t
passed the second reading. contained
scheme OF elaborate restrictions by which
the Irish members. although retained In
the imperial Parliament. were debarred
from voting upon any questions except
such AS should affect the collective interests
of the United Kingdom. 1t was because
that scheme proved. upon examination.
to be unavoidable that Mr.. GLADSTONE
consented to cloths Ire