Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-03-21
.ROMORS ABOUT HOME RULE.
Complicates More Than Ever
 the Situation in Ireland.

Complicates More Than Ever
 the Situation in Ireland. Secretary Wyndham, It Is Said, Will
 Deny Any Such Plan-Nothing Will
 Be Given Out Until After the Pass
 age of the Land Purchase Bill-The
 Provisions of This Measure are
 Being Kept Secret.
 London, March 21.-The announce ment that the government contem- plates bringing in a bill providing q modified form of home rule for Ireland complicates the political situation, which already presents an extraordi- nary muddle. No measure of home rule can be brought before parliament this year. and the Irish secretary, Mir Wyndham, is quite likely to deny the serious existence of such a plan. But any denial can be regarded as mere political evasion to the governments desire not to arouse further opposition among it's own supporters until the Irish land purchase bill is safely passed. which is not expected until September. The provisions of the lat ter measure are still kept absolutely secret and will not be revealed until March 25, when the bill will be brought in. The nationalist members of parlia- ment and the Irish uninoists, including Lord Dunraven. continue hopeful that it will, or, in deed. that it must con- tain proposals which will in some de gree meet the demands of United Ire- land.
 Lord Dunraven, while declining to make any statement regarding the steps the government has taken look ing to a scheme for home rule and deprecating any announcement as like ly to prejudice Irish interests, declared to representative of the Associated Press that there was widespread feel ing among the unionist landlords for an extended form of local government. and they saw no reason why all the Irish parties should not work together towards that end. as they had done in the land question.
 The nationalist leaders refrain from making any comment and publicly make little of their continuous support of Premier Balfour. The rank and file. however, do not hesitate to point out that the government is now at their mercy and that the ministry would twice have been defeated this session had the nationalists voted. as they haTe done for years, with the op- position.
 A nationalist member of parliament said to n representative of the Associ- ated Press:
 | Y.
 with the dwindling majorities in the house, crushing defeats in the bye elections and virulent attacks from the fourth party, 1t really would not be so much out of the way if Mir Balfour did bring in home rule bill, though. of ocurse he will call 1t extension of local government"
 The alliance of the government with the Irish has caused intense indigna- tion among many members of the con- servative party. It has also caused keen apprehension among the liberal forces. who have been put in a fresh dilemma by the action of R. w. Perks. liberal, who practically controls the non-conformist vote in England and who Is Lord Rosebery's chief hench- man in the house of commons. in issu- ing manifesto declaring that the lib eral leaders must now choose between the Irish or non-conformist alliance He maintains that the action of the Catholic Irishmen in helping the gov, ernment to pass the recent education bill in the face of violent non-conform. ist protests. forver prevents an under tsanding between the Irish Catholics and the non-conformists. "What we | are entitled" Mir Perks says. .'is a di. rect pledge that British non-conformity will take precedence over the Irish 1 Catholic partv,' and he advises his fel, low non-cOnformists not to vote for l the liberal candidate at the forthcom l ing hye-election in the Chertsey divis. | ion of Surrey. MT Perks has thus l placed Sir Henry Campbell Banner. man, the liberal leader. on the horns of q dilemma, compared with which even l the recent successes of the liberals al l the polls are unimportant, and has add 1 ed another to the many confusing is sues which are rapidly breaking up the long established party distinctions or l both sides of the house.