The Irish standard., 1902-11-01
The Tory Premier Tries to Silence Erin's
Voice in Parliament but is
Balkedby O'Bren s
Despite the Arrogance of Bloody Balfour
He is Unable to Muzzle the
Brave Hibernians.

sentative Of an outraged and suffering
nation, wishing nothing so much as to
be set free from all connection With
the place, and declining to be identi-
fed with any of it's subdivisions just
as the Scotch in 1888 declined to be
absorbed in England.
The united front presented by the
of Ireland is one OLE the
features Of the situation which nhakes
Mr.. Balfour's answer especially ILL |
timed and insolent. The request of |
one day for the discussion of Irish
problems came from the representa-
tives Of substantially the whole Irish
people, at a time when they have been
deprived of those rights of personal
liberty which England claims to, COLI
fer upon all who live beneath her flag.
It came from country which is
rapidly depleted of it's native people
by misrule, and overburdened with
taxation, according to even English
authorities. 1t came from a people
whose liberties have been placed by
English law at the disposal of
group Of Anglo-Irish landlords, after
a fashion which not even English mis-
rule in Ireland furnishes parallel for.
1t was cry for Justice, which will
find a hearing in the conscience of civ
ilized mankind, though it finds none
in the accomplished golf player who
holds office by the grace and liberation
Of Joseph Chamberlain. !
After such beginnih g of his pre-
miership, it is matter for congratula-
ton that Mr. Balfour's tenure Of office
is not likely to be a long one. All
the signs point to a Tory overthrow
in the next general elections. The by
elections have gone against the party
in every recent case, wiping out big
Tory majorities and returning Liber-
ais instead. Largely this is due to
the rally Of the English Dissenters to
the support of the Liberal party, be-
cause of the character of Mr.. Bal
four's educational bill. England has
had two scares on the subject Of edu-
cation. The first was when the de-
feat Of France by Germany in 1901
showed the admirable effect of good
training on the rank and file Of an
army. Up to that time the nation had
done next to nothing for the education
Of the people, and the schools set up
by the various churches were quite in
adequate for the purpose. So Mr..
Forster, whose memory might still be
in good mention If he had not tried to
govern Ireland, planned scheme to
give aid to the church schools in pro.
portion to the work they did, and to
supplement them with schools estab-
lished by elected boards apart from
church connection.
well, and Mr.. Balfour, alarmed by the
industrial progress Of America and
Germany, proposes to place the school
of England under control of the couA.
ty and city councils, and to provide
for these taking control of the secular
education, while the churches provide
teachers who shall educate the chill
dren religiously in the church schools.
AS the Dissenters have very few such
schools, they protest that they will not
pay the rates levied for the support Or
church schools Of any kind; and they
are working England into fever over
the whole question by public meet
ings Of all sorts and sizes. 1t is this
agitation which is undermining the
Tories, and will probably cause their
overthrow.
When Mr.. Gladstone in 1886 brought
in his Home Rule bill large section
of the Dissenters withdrew from the
Liberal party. Many of them, like Mr..
Chamberlain and Mr.. Bright, went into
the Liberal Unionist camp, and they
stayed there Others withdrew from
politics altogether, and have never
voted since that day. Now we see all
sections Of the Dissenters drawing to-
gether to resist this bill, and many a