Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1898-03-22
Irish Home Rule.

|
Unde, the name Of Irish local eov.
eminent, = which is the title Of the bill
now before the British parliament, the
Home Rulers may perhaps get practical.
~ most Of what they have been fighting
, for century and what Gladstone and
the Liberal cabinet were driven from,
Office for striving to obtain for them
It would be u strange turnof fate If the
bill should pass parliament and become
law under a Conservative administra-
ton, when the Conservative party has
been from start to finish the steadfast
foe of home rule for Ireland.
The bill put before the house Of com
mons by Gerald Balfour, secretary FIR
Ireland, gives nearly but notquito CO
much power to the local authorities OF
Ireland as is exercised by these koGlies
in England and Scotland. All atpresent
entitled to vote for memb ers Of parlia
ment in Ireland RAY vote for, tho local
governments boards. Women and peers
may also vote for these.
The local governing boards consist, as
in England and Scotland, Of county
councils, poor guardians and, city and
village councils. The British govern.
ment will, however, fall back on prece.
dent in one respect and not allow ''min-
listers of religion" to sit as members of
the town or county councils, although
they may serve us such in England.
This to most Irishmen is an exasperat-
ing exception. Still they get SO much
that they are inclined to take the small
drop of bitter with the sweet. County
councils will not be permitted to exer-
else criminal jurisdiction. ~
1t is an encouraging sign that for
once the Irish members of parliament
seem inclined to unite and to regard the
new bill favorably. ss4
GOOD ROADS TAXES. 49,.
large Debts Should he Avoided In
Thisiy Settled Districts. 49,
Professor John Hamilton, secretary of
agriculture. of Pennsylvania, inr,the
course of an address delivered before the
L. A. w. assembly at st. Louis said:
Another matter is, I think, worthy
Of our attention. In our zeal to secure
Improvement so long delayed and go
long desired we have perhaps overstep'
ped the bounds Of prudence in advocat
ing the contracting by localities of
enormous debts for road construction, SO
great that perhaps neither we nor our
children will live to see them extin-
guished.
''Districts lying near cities or large
towns, whose population is made up
mostly Of business and professional
men, whose means of living are not
wholly derived from the income of farm
property, but from city occupations,
ought perhaps to be excepted from this
prohibition, for these wealthy districts
need immediate convenience as neces-
sary part Of their more luxurious living
and can meet, without serious distress,
the increased tax needed to constrdtt
these expensive roads. ~
1.-THE income of country people IL
comparatively small, and although the
introduction Of good roads will greatly
enhance the value Of their property and
be Of untold advantage to them in other
respects, yet VIZ must still remember
that it is often unwise to 60 into debt
for comforts and conveniences, in them
selves highly desirable. but the posses
sion OF which we are unable to afford.
1.-THE great underlying and governing
l:inciple in all governments should be
that the strong should aid those that
are weak, and the logical and equitable
method in tits not private or local but
most important public improvement is
for the state to undertake the work, and
thus enlist all interests and all of the
people in the execution Of this great en- !
designed, constructed and
for the public use. :"
CHlCAGO's FAVORlTE PAS
SENGER STATION. 1t