Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-09-05
THE HOME RULE BILL.
Recognized to he Much Better for Ire
land Than That of 1856.

From the New York Times
The home rule bill was introduced in the
house Of commons February 13 by Mr..
Gladstone in perhaps the greatest speech
that the Grand Old Man" has ever made
in all his sixty years of parliamentary SER
vice. The interest of the day conferred not
so much in the provisions of the bill. for in
the seven years since the introduction of
the bill of 1856 the English people had be-
come accustomed to the idea Of home rule
for Ireland, but in the fact that a man of
eightyfour was to stand and make speech
of two hours duration.
The bill which he outlined was recognized
to be high advance on the bill Of 1885,
Then home rule was linked with a scheme
Of thousand million dollars to buy out
Irish landlords: in the new bill there was no
hint Of a penny for such a purpose. Then
there was a fantastic plan of a big upper
house with two orders. the Irish peers play
ing dominant part; in the new bill there
was compact senate OF only forty-eight,
all elective. and peers dropped out without
a word Of mention. The lower house. too.
was cut down from an unwieldy body to
lo3, or twenty-five less than the New York
state legislature.
The object Of the bill remained, as in 1885,
to establish legislative body in Dublin
for the conduct Of both legislation and ad-
ministration in Irish as distinct from i'm
Tor legislature for Ireland, consisting Of
the queen and Of two houses-the legisla-
tive council and the legislative assembly.
This legislature, with certain restrictions,
Is authorized to make laws for the peace,
order and good government Of Ireland in
respect to matters exclusively relating to
Ireland or some part thereof. The bill says
that the powers of the Irish Legislature
shall not extend to the making Of any law
respecting the establishment or endowment
OF religion or prohibiting the free exercise
thereof. or imposing any disability or con-
ferrfng any privilege on account of relig
ious belief, or whereby any person may be
deprived of life, liberty, or property without
due process of law or whereby private
property may be taken without Just COM
pensation.
According to the bill the executive power
in Ireland shall continue vested In
her majesty the queen, and the lord lieu
tenant, on behalf Of her majesty, shall ex-
ercise any prerogatives or other executive
power of the queen the exercise Of which
may be delegated to him by her majesty
and shall in the queens name summon,
prorogue. and dissolve the legislature. An
executive committee of the privy council
Of Ireland Is provided for which shall aid
and advise in the government Of Ireland"
The lord lieutenant, with the advice and
consent of the executive council is author
lied to give or withhold the assent OF her
majesty to bills passed by the houses of the
legislature.
The legislative council by the terms of
tne snail consist 1Orty-elSnt council
o-s. Every man shall be entitled to vote
for a councillor who owns occupies any
land or tenement of a ratable value of EGO.
The term of office of the councillors Is to be
for eight years. which is not to be affected
by dissolution, but one-half Of the council
ors shall retire in every fourth year and
their seats be filled by a new election. The
legislative assembly is to consist OF 103 men,
bers returned by the parliamentary constit-
uencies existing al present in Ireland. This
assembly, unless sooner dissolved may ex-
list for five years The bill also provides
for eighty Irish members in the house of
commons.
In regard to finance, the bill provides
that for the purposes of this act the public
revenue shall be divided into general reve-
nue. and special revenue, and general reve-
nue. shall consist of the gross revenue col
lected in Ireland from taxes; the portion
due to Ireland Of the hereditary revenues
OF the crown, which are managed by the
commissioners OF woods, an annual sum
for the customs and excise duties collected
in Great Britain on articles consumed In
Ireland, provided that annual sum of
the customs and excise duties collected in
Ireland on articles consumed in Great
Britain shall be deducted from the revenue
collected in Ireland and treated as revenue
collected In Great Britain; these annual
sums to be determined by a committee ap-
pointed Jointly by the Irish government
and the imperial treasury. 1t is also pro-
vided that one-third of the general revenue
of Ireland and also that portion of any i'm
perial miscellaneous revenue to which Ire
land may claim to be entitled shall be paid
into the treasury of the United Kingdom
as the contribution of Ireland to imperial
liabilities and expenditures; this plan to
continue for a term of six years, at the end
of which time a new scheme of tax divi-
sion shall be devised.
The Legislature, in order to meet expenses
OF the public service. is authorized to i'm
pose taxes other than those now existing
In Ireland; Ireland should also have charg
ed up against her and be compelled to pay
out OF her own treasury all salaries and
pensions of judges and liabilities of all
kinds which Great Britain has assumed
for her benefit. The bill further provides
that appeal from courts in Ireland to the
house of lords shall cease and that all per-
sons having the right of appeal shall have
like right to appeal to the queen in coun-
Gil.
The term of office of the lord lieutenant
Is fixed at six years. Ultimately the royal
Irish constabulary shall cease to exist and
no force other than the ordinary civil po-
lice shall be permitted to be formed. The
Irish legislature shall be summoned to meet
on the first Tuesday in September 1884,
and the first election for members shall
be held at such time before that day as
may be fixed by her majesty in council
The opposition spent eighty-two days in
the discussion of the bill in the hope of de-
feating 1t by obstruction. The records of
the second reading show that in committee
459 speeches were made for the bill and 9SS
against 1t. The former occupied 81 hours
and the latter 152