The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-02-22

four, introduced the Irish local govern
ment bill In so doing Mr.. Balfour said
he thought it possible the new order
of things would at first seem a failure
but he believed il would work through
failure TO success, which would be the
beginning of better and brighter days
Tor Ireland. The government, Mr.. Bal
four continued, proposed that the local
administration be distributed between
county councils, urban and rural dis
trict councils and boards of election,
the election of which would be by par
liamentary franchise, with the addition
of peers and women.
The qualifications and disqualified
tons for election of the councillors
would be the same as in England, ex-
cept that ministers of religion would be
disqualified from sitting in the county
or district council, the government act
Ing therein in accordance with prece-
dents.
For the sake of convenience, Mr.. Bal
four further explained, the boundaries
of the existing unions and also of the
counties would be modified and the
county councils would take over the
duties of grand juries, but only in fiscal
matters, and would not include crimi-
nal Jurisdiction or questions of COM
pensation for malicious injuries. Irish
Obs The elections for county and
district councils would be triennial, and
all would retire together. The county
councils would be the sole rate-collect-
ing authority. and would control the
expenditures.
Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Limerick, Lon
donderry and Waterford would be con-
stituted independent county councils.
The county would be responsible for
half the extra expenditure.
Mr.. Balfour also pointed out that the
bill provided that the occupier was
liable TO both the county excess and
poor rate, whether in a town or rural
district, which would involve read
justment of rents, an equal sum TO be
granted from the imperial eXchequer as
an agricultural grant. Mr.. Balfour said
he thought the bill was based upon
broad. democratic lines.
John Morley. chief secretary for Ire
land in the late Liberal administration,
welcomed the bill as being "a genuine
democratic effort"
Mr.. Dillon, chairman of the Irish par
liamentary party. said he thought the
measure was an immense advance over
the bill of 1892, and fulfilled the prom
Use of the government. But, he claim
ed. it was not equal to the English or
Scotch measure. He pointed out that
the control of the police was not given
to the councils. Nevertheless, he added,
the bill would do much good, and his
party would endeavor to execute it in
good faith.
John Redmond, the Parnellite leader,
also welcomed the bill, but he criti-
cised some points of the measure. He
added that if it worked successfully, it
would be an unanswerable argument in
favor of home rule.
Colonel d. w. Saunders, Conservative
member for North Armeigh, said a ma
jority of the landlords recognized the
necessity of the measure, which, he
added, offered an opportunity for all
classes of Irishmen TO unite for a COM
mon purpose.
Timothy Healy, Irish Nationalist,
praised the bill, and Michael Davitt,
Irish Nationalist, threatened opposition
to that part of the bill promising relief
to the landlords in the shape of an
agricultural grant.
The bill eventually passed it's first
reading