The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-04-30
THE HOME RULE BILL.
Comment on GIadstone's Measure by Mr..
y. II. jackson.
Editor of The Times.

y. II. jackson.
Editor OF The Times:
Permit me. Mr.. Editor. word OF COM
ment on your article on this subject in
a recent editorial. Anyone unfamiliar
with the constitutional procedure OF the
English Parliament would assume on
reading your article that only time now
stood in the way OF the passage OF the
Home Rule bill, because Mr. Gladstone
has succeeded In combining his Eeteroge-
noous followers into majority sufficient
TO carry the second reading of the bill.
You lose sight Of the fact that 1t has
now to run the gauntlet, not OF a small
committee, but of a committee of the
whole House, in which every clause of
the bill. bristling as they do with diff
culties and inconvenience. will be dis
cussed by not only those opposed TO the
principle of the measure. but by that
heterogeneous party which has carried
the second reading. Already the Irish
Nationalists have declared that uiiess
the financial clauses are materially chang
ed, the bill will not be worth having.
Again, the members of the dissenting
religious b )dies, Presbyterians and Meth
odists, most Of whom are supporters Of
Mr.. Gladstone, have many Of them In
timated their intention of standing by
man. are as strongly opposed to the bill
as the members OF the Episcopal Church
I'm ireland. These all decline to be
handed over to the tender mercies or
the Roman Church In Ireland. Again,
as MIR. Gladstone himself admitted the
other day, the business and propertied
classes In Ireland. as well as in England
are wholly opposed to the measure. Is
II TO be supposed that all these factions,
working together, will not be able so TO
emasculate the bill I'm committee az
to render 1t, in the opinion OF its authors,
not worth carrying? The ninth clause
alone. when It comes up for discussion,
should insure the defeat of the measure.
This clause provides for the retention OF
the Irish members In the English House
of Commons after a separate Parliament
has been created in Ireland, but limits
their right Of voting TO imperial ques-
lions alone. Just consider for moment
what this means in such House OF
Commons as Mr.. Gladstone now leads
Under the constitutional procedure the
Prime Minister at the opening OF Parlia-
ment submits in the form Of the Queens
sneech his programme OF legislation for
the session for the United Kingdom.
This the House votes upon as whole.
The Minister then, II the address Is
agreed to. introduces bills TO carry OUT
this programme. What would have oeen
the result the present session had such
a provision as the ninth clause OF the
Home Rule bill been law? Upon the
general programme OF legislation for the
Kingdom the whole House would have
been entitled TO vote, II being an Imperial
question Upon this vote Mr.. Gladstone
would have been sustained, ana the pro
eramme of legislation approved. This
would have happened, because he was
the supporter OF the Irish Nationalist
members. Immediately, however, he mad
introduced the bills to give erect 10 TINS
programme. which mainly provides legls-
iation upon English. Scotch and Welsh
questions, and upon when the iti9"
members could not vote, he would nave
been left in a minority OF about torty,
and utterly unable to carry into enect
anv one OF the measures which the Rouse
as a whole. including the irish members
had directed him TO submit. surely
measure admitting OF such system
ought not TO be enacted INTO Jaw NJ
will II be. at least, until after the people
have again had the opportunity OIL 'o'iHs
upon 1t. -, r,rds
must concur in the passing OF the Dill
ar be abolished, Is one not warranted
or believed by any Englishman' Inc
House of Lords Is body OF concurrent
poyer and necessity In the Brush FAR
lament with the Commons. IL can no
more he abolished without its own con-
currence than can the Commons, except
nv revolution, and II has not yet SHOWN
any inclination TO commit tine happy
dispatch" and most EnSiishmen are YET
prepared to repeat what they nave 80
often repeated in the past, Ihank uou'
~ f.nT
function is to act as the vetoing power
mon hasty legislation. and this function
the people will always sustain 1t In per-
forming. The Crown is by the interpo-
sit,on Of the House Of Lords always pre-
served from the necessity OF exercising
the veto power. When botn houses VI
Parliament concur in passing measure
the Crown always assents. rms Is pe-
cause the House of Lords, peiore as
senting 10 any radical measure passed. ny
the Commons, always interposes its 'e,o,
and declines to pass the OH uhtiI .ne
neonIe have voted upon the question.
This n no doubt will do with this Home
Rule hin. should it survive the ordeal OF
the committee stage in the House or
Commons. In so doing, II VIII receive 'he
support and approval Of the people VINO
have not vet voted upon the Rome ru'e
bill now before the Commons. 49,,
Mr.. Gladstone never explained the Dill
which he has introduced wheh oeiore
the electors. and II differs so widely from
the one which he himself introduced In
1886 as to absolutely deprive him OF any
ground for saying that vote IN favor
of that bill was a vote In faVor
of the one now before the House. with
one-third OF the people OF Ireland, and
that third the wealthiest. happiest ana
most prosperous OF all the people, op-
nosed 10 this bill as Is the case. and with
that third entirely in harmony with the
majority OF the people Of England. Scot
land and Wales as is evidenced by the
result OF the recent election, this Home |
Rule bill will not be passed at this ses-
sion Of Parliament, nor until the people
by a majority OF their representatives
not only in Ireland. but IN Great Britain,
shall have unhesItatingly declared In IA
yor Of the measure. BY that time Mr..
Gladstone will, II he lives so long nave
realized the fact that he is not the auto
crat OF the British Empire. Yours truly,
] F.. JACKSON.