The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-10
LONDON NEWS AND GOSSIP.
The IrrePressible Irish Question
Again to the Fore.

|
LONDON March 9.-The fayorite dit.
of the London music halls for months
past has run, What do you think o
the Irish now?-' This weeks momentum
! happenings have made the question mos
difficult to answer Lords Wolseley anC
Lansdowne are both Irish by birth and
association. and together they have this
week mans ged to send tumblinG over the
abyss their own regulations and the great
army system for which they were jointly
responsible, and watching their fall. that
he may profit in building up a new army
system. sat another Irshman, Earl
| Roberts.
Across the Hobbies in the House o Com
mons twelve Irishmen have once gaia
proved how absolutely the whole British
Parliamentary system is at the mercy OF
| a handful of determined men whom Eng
fish craftsmanship has failed to TeConc l.
| with English rule. 1t has in truth teen
an Irish week. Ii is impossible to Say
| that the British public has been very
much perturbed by the irish row in the
| House of Commons. Parliament has lost
| that halo of sanctity which great person
alitics like those OF Pitt. Palme rston, TesI.
| Disraeli. and Gladstone used to give t.
! it. and has become in the public mini
! little more than talking shop. too We
( bose and unwieldy for practical work
! The spectacle, therefore. of policemen IN
| tering the peoples chamber and hauling
! out representatives, of the people. m ,ch
as they would drunkards out of a tavern
hardly seems to have shocked the Eng
lish public. Generally the smile of a
nurse carrying naughty little boy out
Of the drawing-room occurs to them and
perhaps they even share the satisfaction
which the Spectator expresses today
when it says that it is rot sorry to see
the Irish members in simulated tantrums
because they are never dangerous when
noisy
To Minister of the Crown. whose views
have been aired. the whole affair appealed
as a mere Irish trick to replenish the de-
pleted party treasury by subscriptions
from the sympathetic Irish servant girl in
America. The deeper meaning of it all
hardly finds expression in the press
namely, the fact that after these hun
dred years of English rule. two-thirds of
Ireland's representatives seize every op-
portunity to block the English governing
machine. and harass and degrade Eng
fish public life, and win widespread ap-
plause in Ireland for their pains.
AS to the rights and wrongs of the case,
Mr.. Balfour undoubtedly is far too fond
of cloture, and can use his power in the
most exasperating way. Moreover, Par
Lament becomes a farce when a vote of
sS50OO,0O0 can be forced through the House
after five hours discussion on one only
Of half a dozen burning English, Irish,
and Scotch subjects affected by the vote.
On the other hand, the Irish members
who have managed to squeeze eighty-four
speeches into two and half weeks sit
tings can hardly claim to be gagged; but, !
after all, the practical point is that If the
Irish Nationalist choose they can by con- !
certed extremist measures bring the |
British Parliament to its knees, as well |
now in Parnell's day. If a Tory Par |
Lament had to yield to one Bradlaugh, |
who had one constituency only at his |
back, how can it resist eighty Bradlaughs |
and eighty constituencies?
England is trying this morning to mas |
ter the details of the new army scheme OF |
Mr.. Brodrick and Earl Roberts. which IS |
to take the place of the system to which |
Lords Lansdowne and Wolseley gave the |
final kick in the House of Lords this week. |
On paper ii looks admirable; 1850 new
troops are TO be provided, at cost of less
than $40 0O9,O0o or SO per man. making /
home army of 6S0.0D0 men. But everyone
asks. Where are the men to come FROM"
There is to be no increase in pay: no new
sources of supply are tapped: not a single |
additional man is to be passed through a
full course of military training. The
scheme, IN fact, fallS back upon the old /
soldiers. militiamen and volunteers. and
promises modest reform in drill and train
ing, and some clearing away of the War
Office chaff. but nothing sweeping, nothing |
The truth. OF course is that the Chancel-
or of the EXchequer. with his war bill. |
he den ands of the Kings new civil list !
md the paramount needs Of the navy had
title left, and Mr.. Brodrick not daring to
provide money by wholesale retrench-
nents in the present Administration. is
lriven to make this bold attempt TO create
IN army sufficiently big for the latter-day
without paying for 1t. Over
t all he throws the shadow of conscrip-
ion. Il do not doubt" he said. that man
or man. a voluntary army is better than
conscript one My adhesion to the vol
lntary system is strictly limited to our be-
ng able to obtain under il a force with |
which the military authorities can satisfy |
he Government that they have a suffi- |
lent force to resist invasion. and can |
rain 1t to their satisfaction BIZ: it ,
would take many Mr. Brodricks to induce
England to go that length In militarism.
AS though the enormous decrease in |
trade with America were NOT
depressing enough, the Bradford textile |
Employers are, Ike the Liverpool cotton |
masters, face to face with a determined
emand for lessening the hours of labor |
hey are unitedly opposing the demand |
nd have decided to ask all British textile I
to join a special association :
Or the purpose of resisting trades unions .
emands.