The Irish standard., 1893-02-04
Blaine, the greatest and best beloved
American Of this age.
THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT.

After q recess of several months since
the general election, the legislators Of
Great Britain and Ireland met at West.
miuster last Tuesday evening to resume
their labors. There was q full attend
ance of memb bers in both houses OF par.
lament. The Queens speech was read
in the usual perfunctory manner. 1t
briefly outlined the policy of the Liberal
administration and announced among
other things that a bill would be sub
mitted to amend the provisions for the
government of Ireland, said bill having
been prepared with the desire to afford
contentment to the Irish people as well
as relief to parliament, and to give ad-
ditional securities for the strength and
union of the British empire. That is the
euphemistic way of saying that Home
Rule bill for Ireland will be introduced
during the session, and notice was given
that Mr.. Gladstone will present it to the
House of Commons next Monday, thus
giving it precedence over every other bill
and fulfilling his promises to the Irish
people to that extent. With the excep-
tion Of the members of the cabinet, and
possibly few Irish representatives, no
one knows the provisions of the Home
Rule bill with any degree OF certainty,
and yet Lord Salisbury maliciously at
tackled it in the Lords, and his nephew,
Arthur Balfour, sneerlngly criticised
it in the Commons. The grand old
statesman, Mr.. Gladstone, replied to the
structures of Bloody Balfour' and re-
buked him for assailing with inhamma-
tory criticism bill not yet introduced,
and for doing his utmost to prejudice the
minds of the opposition against plan OF
Home Rule of which he WAS still ignor'
ant. In reply to questions of Mr.. Bal
four, who Is the leader of the opposition,
as to where there was an empire which
had been strengthened by the adoption
of local autonomy, Mr.. Gladstone said he
would point to Austro-Hungary, as l4ord
Salisbury had done on a previous occa-
sion, as an illustratioa applicable to the
case of Great Britain and Ireland, and he
would e.iso point to the British colonies
which, were ruled from London sixty
years ago, but demanded separation until
government was finally granted to
them. Balfour WAS so foroibly and logic
ally answered by the ''old man eloquent"
that he preserved silence, but next week
we may expect him to offer every argu-
ment against giving colonial rights to
Ireland. He will be assisted by Cham
berlain, the Iscariot of British politics,
and the leading men of both sections of
the House are likely to engage Ill pro-
longed debate on the momentous ques-
tion of restoring to Ireland the inallen-
able rights of self-legislation in the old
parliament house in Dublin.
The critical hour is low at hand when
the fate of Home Rule is trembling in the
balance. Gladstone's energies and STRAIT
egies will be tested to the utmost in car
rying the measure through the Commons
to glorious victory. He has weighed
the chances of SUCCESS, and though there
are apparently impregnable obstacles to
be surmounted in both houses before the
bill is passed. he is confident Of crownine
his magnificent career, which is rapidly
drawing to close, with giving back to
Ireland the God given rights OF self
government, of which she was ruthlessly
and feloniously deprived in the days OF
Pitt. In one of hisspeeches onthe hust-
ings, Mr.. Gladstone declared that the
British parliament had no more power to
trample on the old Irish parliament than
it had on the congress OF the United
States, and he is convinced that to atone
for the wrong done to Ireland, the par
lament of Great Britain is bound in con-
science to make restitution OF her stolen
rights. Gladstone is a Christian states
man, and the cause he advocates is just
and holy. Therefore the sympathy of all
civilized nations is with Gladstone and
Ireland at this crisis. The robber barons
Of the United Kingdom are arrayed
against him to keep Ireland in subjec-
tion. They desire to rule the Irish peo-
ple with rod of iron as in the past.
Butthe time is gone by when the Irish race
the world over will tamely submit to see-
ing the remnant of their kindred at home
treated like Russian serfs under con-
stitut,onal form OF government. The
government of England cannot in this
age impoverish and torture the people Of
ireland with impunity. A terrible re-
taliation is in store for British tyrants if
Justice is not done to the Irish people by
the London parliament. Constitutional
agitation will be abandoned it Gladstone
fails to carry his Home Rule bill, and
physical force will again be tried to strike
terror into British aw-makers. If the
Irish people cannot enjoy the rights OF
human beings in their native land and
will be forced to emigrate to other
countries for livelihood, as they have