The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-05-14
NEWS BY CABLE FROM ABROAD.
Status of the Irish Home Rule
Bill.
This Week Has Brought Only Discourage
ment to the Liberals-The Present
obstruction to the Bill Only a Specimen
Of What is to Come-The New German
Reichstag VIII Hardly be Convened
This Summer


brought only Encouragement to the
Liberals. The records of the house of
commons. setting in committee, show
the monotonous waste Ct obstructive
motions and insignificant divisions.
But for the occasional squabbles, pro.
voked on the smallest pretexts by the
Unionists leaders, the desert of mediocre
speeches and futile votes has been with.
out an oasis OF even mild excitement.
The Ministerialists are puzzlin0 now
over this problem: "If five nights ara
required for discussion Of the compar-
atively important first clause OF the bill.
how many nights will be required for
discussion OF all the forty clauses?" In
moment OF desperation and anger
John Morley, chief secretary for Ire.
land, predicted that unless decisive
steps be taken at once to force the bill
through the committee, next spring
would find the Unionists still obstruct.
ing.
The government has apparently al.
ready brought to Its assistance ali ap.
proved methods Of thwarting the
obstructionists and facilitating the bill.
No opportunity to apply closure has
been missed. The Irish members have
preserved such an UMPIRE cedented silence
as to draw from the Unionists tsunts
and inquiries regarding the reason of
their exceptional self restraint, The
Liberal speeches have been few and
brief. In fact, majority may fairly
be said to have Withdrawn virtually
from the discussion. But the on.
position to the leaders are indefatigable.
They pile amendment on amend.
ment, take advantage of every
cumbrous form OF parliamentai v
procedure and introduce personalities
and other irrelevancies in their speeches
In order that the passage of each clause
may be deferred to the last possible
minute. or course, the Conservatives
deny that they are obstructionists
Ihey magnify the significance OF the
hrst clause, and call it the head, front
and origin OF the whole mischieyous
plan OF home rule and protest that it,
therefore, was their duty to make
against 1t their strongest fight, leayinp
the subsequent clauses to their fate
after fair amount of discussion. The
Indications are, however, that the
obstruction OF clause one has been
merely specimen Of what may be ex-
pected with the consideration of each
succeeding clause.
THE NEW GERMAN REICHsTAG.
BERLIN, May lathe first week of
the electoral struggle ends without any
OF the parties knowing where they
stand, and without any OF them having
anything like reliable data from which
to farecast the result OF the contest for
mem bers OF the reichstaG. The leaders
OF society democracy alone seem to re.
tain thorough grip upon their organi.
zAtion. They have to might 142 candi.
dates in the field ard can now reason
ably hope to secure fifty five seats, a
gain OF nineteen over the number held
by the party in the last reichstar.
From the unpreceden ted mum Der of can.
didates appearing it will be impossible
Tor the results OF the first days polling,
on June Is, to decide the general issue,
and IT IL expected that the vote on that
day will not certainly establish the
political character OF the new house.
The successful candidate requires a
majority over all his opponents, and
large mum Der of men seeking election
ana reelection In the various constituent
c'eS Will make required majority hard
to obtain in many cases. 1t Is thought
that over 100 second ballots will be
necessary and it is therefore highly
probable that the end of the summer
will have been reached before the house
is finally constituted. 1t is doubtful,
whatever may be the result OF the cleo.
lions, whether the reichstag will even
then be convened for business.
1t is more likely that it will meet
only to hear the emperor's speech, open
ing the session and then adjourn until
the usual period of opening in October.
In the meantime it is evident that the
parties will DO reconstructed on pat
forms on which , he army bill will have
almost secondary place. The fore
most planks OF the Conservative plat
form already decided upon are protec-
tionism and bimetallism.
Jefferson Davis. Remains.