The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-08-07

and move about among the people car
venture to say Is, that so far there ma;
not been any sign that the desire for loca
autonomy which led to the introduction
OF Mr.. Gladstone's home rule bill In 1885
has been weakened, or will be less dis.
tinctly expressed at the next general cleo
tion than 1t was expressed In 1885.
~
The movement for home ruel has. how
ever, regarded as a practical political
movement, been sensibly checked by the
division among the Irish nationalists them.
selves. These divisions affect the masses
OF the people less than they affect their
parliamentary representatives, but since
1t is through those representatives that
agitation has to be conducted, the fact that
the nationalist party in the house OF COM
mons is divided into several sections, own
ing no common leader, operates as a severe
encouragement. More perhaps than any
thing else, 1t has thrown home rule, for the
time being. into what may be called II
not the background, yet the middle dis
lance" OF British politics. The English
tory party are less inspirited and held to-
gether By their opposition to home rule
than they were when It was the main
question before the country. The Eng
fish liberal party. though less ardent in
their advocacy of Irish claims than they
were when reused by the pussant voice
of Mr. Gladstone, have not, as whole
dropped 1t, or ceased to believe that the
policy he recommended was essentially
a sound policy But they hold that there
is not much use in discussing the matter
while the Irish members are 50 much di
vided among themselves, because there
Is now no Irish leader who is entitled
l. f<., Trt-l y, In
and to formulate their demands in prac-
teal way. Moreover. there exists also
among the English liberals, and, indeed,
among Englishmen generally, feeling
that the creation of representative local
government in Ireland is a new fact of
the first Importance, which alters the pre-
vious position and may cast fresh light
on the Irish problem.
: 4 =
Few indeed are those who now believe
that it will be accepted by the Irish as a
substitute for home rule, though this was
one of the grounds on which its acceptance
was recommended by the conservative par
ty year ago. Nevertheless. 1t Is deemed
an experiment which may influence Eng
lish opinion either for or against the home
rule policy, and many people are therefore
inclined to pause for little to see how
it works. But the main factor is, after
all, the condition of the lrish party itself.
That it will ultimately be recognized and
consolidated may be expected. because
in Ireland Itself every one sees that this
is the necessary prerequisite to its re-
gaining its full weight in parliament.
But till this has been effected the 'Irish
question" as we are accustomed to call
it. Is likely 10 remain in suspense making
little political progress.
Causes which do not advance usually re-
cede This, however, need not happen as
regards the nationalist cause, for If local
government works fairly WELL IL the coun-
try remains peaceful, If the people become
some of the alarms which the
English felt may abate, and the demand
for home rule may have a better chance of
being considered on its merits some years |
hence than it had in 1898. 1t Is, at any
rate, matter for satisfaction that there is |
at present very little to rekindle the irri- |
tation between the two islands which was
go acute before 1886. James Bryce.
London, England.