Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1898-12-17
Any Attempt to Abandon 1t
Would Cause Split in
the Liberal Party.
Irish Opposition Could .AbsO-
lutely Preclude Their
Return to Power.
SHOULD BE FULLY AND FAIRLY TRIED.

Let there be no mistake about 1t, the
Liberals who want to rat on home rule
have the entire body of Irish Nationalist
to reckon with, says the Dublin Free
man. On this topic at least there is no
dissension in Ireland. Home rule is the
only consideration OH which Irish sup
port can be secured for any English party
or Irish opposition averted. 1t would be
idle to deny that there are number of
weak kneed Liberals who consider that
they could best forward the interests of
their party or their own individual in
terests by what they call dropping home
rule. Heretofore that attitude has been
taken, in public at least, by mo account
men," Sir Henry Fowler is not perhaps
pre-eminent statesman. But he was a
Cabinet Minister in Mr.. Gladstone's
home rule government, and any attempt
on his part, however cautious, to re-
absorb, we will not say to swallow, the
principles he then professed, calls for in
slant comment and reputation.
In the speech he delivered in Wolver-
hampton he wriggled a good deal in the
effort to loosen the many pledges and
professions on the Irish question by
which he is bound. He extolled the
partial and restricted measure of county
government conceded by the UnioDist
government to Ireland, and quoted the
extravagant eulogies of Mr.. Redmond,
as SIR. Chamberlain quoted the extrava-
CANT eulogies of Mr. Healy, to show that
it was magnificent measure, which
might fairly satisfy Irish aspirations.
Sir Henry Fowler is a cautious, not to
say cold-blooded politician, and the
whole tendency of his speech on the
Irish question is distinctly reactionary.
In the course of his speech he said: "Mr.
Gladstone did not, could not, carry out
home rule as embodied in the bills of
1886 and 1898; but he convinced the peo-
pie of Great Britain that the continuance
of the caricature of local government by
which Ireland was oppressed was not
only an injustice and a danger, but an
impossibility. The act would profoundly
affect the political and public life of Ire
land. Henceforth Ireland would have
the same local autonomy as England and
Scotland.
"He would be a bold man who would
predict the immediate or the remote re-
suit of this great change. Those results
would depend upon the spirit and man
ner in which the act was worked and the
tone, character and impartiality of the
authorities which were now called into
existence. They hoped and they trusted
that all parties would unite in promoting
an economical and efficient application
of local organization and administration
to the varied necessities of ireland. Time
and experience could alone show whether
these hopes would be fulfilled. He (Sir
Henry ventured to express the opinion
that the constituencies of Great Britain
should require that this great experiment
should be fully, fairly and completely
tried before they would reconsider the
question of any further change in the
government of Ireland"
The trimmers of the Liberal party need
not fool themselves or suffer themselves
to be fooled into the belief that Irish sup
port can be secured on any such terms.
The Irish party will accept neither limita-
ton nor delay of home rule.
1t is significant that the same dry-rot
on the home rule question does not APP
pear to have penetrated the Liberal rank
and file, for Mr.. Clifford Corey, the Lib
eral candidate at the last election for
Monmouthshire, rated on home rule,
and he was promptly thrown over by the
local Liberal association. The sound
view was put by Mr.. Compton Rickett,
NJ. p, in the course of an address before
a large Liberal meeting at Scarborough.
"Some of the Liberal party" he said.
''were shying badly at home rule, but if
a general election were imminent, Liber-
ais would have to focus their blurred
opinions into sharp definition. The ques-
ton was one of principle, and the cratic
orbit of Mr. John Redmond or the caustic
pleasantries of Mr.. Healy could not mod
ify the responsibility of Liberalism to
Ireland. Home rule as boyle and as a
haunting shadow of the Liberal party
would do far more harm than if it were
set in the light of public opinion, to be
regulated and appraised"
The Liberal party we're bound to the
principle of home rule, and he entirely
disagreed with some members of the Lib
eral party that it should be quietly
dropped. The Liberal party had far bet
ter be out of power for ten years than be
false to its promises. If they dropped
home rule tomorrow Unionists would
take it up. This much is certain, Irish
Nationalist are not to be turned one jot
from their course by Liberal detection.
They are independent of all English par
ties. They will not find it difficult when
the time comes to teach the recalcitrant
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