Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1893-02-17
FOR IRISH HOME RULE
PLAN SUBMITTED TO PARLIA-
MENT YESTERDAY.
Enthusiastio Reception OF Prime Min
lister Gladstone Ia the Commons
His speech Advocating the Measure
n Mastery Composition.

Mastery Composition.
LONDON, Feb 1.-THE scenes at
the opening of Parliament to-day, upon
the occasion of the beginning of the
real fight for Irish home rule, will long
be remembered. While Mr.. Gladstone
yet slept the palace yard was crowded
with members and throngs of people
eagerly awaiting the opening OF the
commons. The early arrivals were
those prominent in the Irish cause.
Among them were p. ]. Foley, member
for Connemara; David Sheehy, Secre-
tary of the Irish National Federation;
John Roche, Nationalist member for
East Galway; and DIR. Charles Tanncl,
member for Cork. By 10 o'clock sixty
members were at the doors await
ing admission. The inner lobby
was packed with members at noon.
and when the doors were opened the
members threw aside their dignity and
rushed in a disorderly fashion for
seats, shouting and struggling for the
best places Many were thrown vio-
trampled upon. The veteran Caleb
Wright, member for southwest Ian
cashire, SO years of age, fell in the
crush and was severely injured. being
Knocked down and trampled on. He
was rescued by John Burns with diff
fculty. Not few members became
angry, and there were several sharp
fights at various points. All were
finally seated and eager for the feast
of Gladstonean eloquence.
Mr.. Gladstone entered the House of
Commons at $3.50. Every liberal and
Irish Nationalist stood up and greeted
him with prolonged and enthusiastic
cheers. When Mr. Gladstone arose to
introduce the home rule bill there was
another demonstrat ton so enthusiastic
and irrepressible that it was several
minutes before he could be heard
Mr.. Gladstone spoke as follows in a
clear, strong and resonant voice:
may, without improperly, remind
the House that the voices which have
usually pleaded the cause of Irish self
government in Irish affairs within
these walls have during the last seven
years been almost entirely mute. Ire
cur, therefore, TO the period of 1856,
when a proposition of this kind was
submitted on the part of the govern
ment of the day, and beg to remind
the House of the position then taken
by all the promoters of these meas
ures We said that we had arrived at
a point in our transactions with
Ireland where the two roads
parted. You have, we said, to choose
one or the other. One is the way Of
Irish autonomy according to instruc-
tions / have just referred to; the
other is the way of coercion. That is
our contention. 1t will be the recol-
lection of the House that that conten-
ton was most stoutly and largely de-
MED. 1t was said over and over again
by many members opposite: 1--WE are
not coercionists; we do not adopt that
alternative, and neither can we adopt
it." ministerial cheers That as
sertion of theirs was undoubtedly
sustained by the proposals, especially
from the dissentient Liberals, of various
plans dealing with Irish affairs. Those
plans, though they fell entirely short
In principle and in scope of Irish self
government, yet were of no trivial or
mean Importance. They went far be-
yond what has heretofore been usually
proposed in the way of local self-go
eminent for Ireland.
III - n
the dilemma as it was then put for
ward on this side of the house and re-
PEELED by the other? Has our conten-
ton that the choice law between
autonomy and coercion been justified
or not? Liberal cheers]. What has
become of each and all Of those i'm
portant schemes for giving Ireland
self-government in the provinces and
giving her even a central estab-
lishment in Dublin with limited
powers? All vanished into thin air. But
the reality remains. The roads were
still autonomy or coercion. The choice
lay between them, and the choice was
to repel autonomy and embrace coer.
cion. You 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 permanent law added to
the statute book This state of things
constituted an offering against the
harmony and traditions Of self-govern-
ment. 1t was distinct and violent
breach of the promise on the face of
which union was obtained. That per-
manent system of repression inflicted
M ou the country q state of things
which could not continue to exist. 1t
was impossible to bring theoinhabit
ants of the country under coercion
into sympathy with the coercion
power.
Mr.. Gladstone proceeded to dilate at
length upon the circumstances under
which the act of union was passed. the
promise of equality in the la WIS and of
commercial equality under which union
was effected. He said
sit was then prophesied confidently
that Irishmen would take their places
in the Cabinet of the United Kingdom,