The Irish standard., 1904-10-08
the QUESTION OF uoME RULE.

the QUESTION OF tOME RULE.
An association of Irish landlords,
mainly those who formed the late land
conference, have taken up the question
Of home rule, and their plan is now
before the world, says the Philadelphia
Catholic Standard and Times.
They do not propose to sever the
parliamentary connection between
Great Britain and Ireland, but to es-
tablish in Ireland council, under
English control (namely, the lord lieu
tenant and the chief secretary for Ire
land, who are almost invariably Eng
lishmen), for the transaction of bust
ness exclusively Irish. They also pro-
pose the formation of Il financial com
mittee, for the purpose of dealing with
the fiscal concerns of Ireland. AS they
propose also to subject the decisions
of these two bodies to the veto or ap
proval of the British house of COM
mons, it may be said that this vitiatcs
the whole scheme. The Irish people
will never get justice, so long as Great
Britain insists upon regulating their
finances or directing the principles up
on which legislation affecting their eX-
istence as nation shall proceed. This,
it may safely be said, is the answer
which the body Of the Irish people will
return when the question comes for
mally before them, for response at the
polls. This was the answer which
Grattan, as the mouth-piece of the
Irish volunteers, gave, when similar
proposition came from the British
sibyls.
If these landlords are in earnest
and they are entitled to the credit of
being serious and sincere in their de-
sire for their country amelioration-
the first step they should call upon the
British government to take would be
that Of restitution. BY report Of its
own parliamentary commission, Lord
Salisbury's government continued by
Mr.. Balfour to this date) was inform
ed, on the strength Of the figures fur
nished by the governments own ac-
countant-general, that Ireland was be-
ing taxed beyond her proper proper
tion, as agreed to by the contrivers of
the act Of union in 1900, to the amount
Of three million and half pounds, Or
about seventeen million dollars, annu-
ally. This system Of plundering had
been going on for the past fifty years,
to greater or less extent, it was
further shown. When it is borne in
mind that the country thus feeced sys-
tematically is the poorest in all the
world, and the country which fleeces
her the richest the iniquity is revealed
in all it's heartlcss callousness. The
government has again and again been
called upon to act upon the report of
its own commission by stopping the
plunder and making restitution, but
with the brutal Indifference Of a cut
purse and mnrauder, it refuses to do
so and goes on it's predatory way. No
appeal to its sense of justice has any
etfect-because there is no such sense
within it. 1t may have a body to be
kicked, but not a soul to be damned
The kicking is the only process that
appeals to its feelings, and this is
what Mr.. John Redmond and the Irish
party must resort to If home rule is
to be won, in the house of commons
or elsewhere.
1t is a good omen, however, to find
even Irish landlords awakening at last
to the terrible gravity of Ireland's con-
dition. She is fast bleeding to death,
and if some powerful styptic be not i'm
mediately found, her case is indeed
hopeless. But found such will be,
please God. All is not yet lost, though,
the crisis is grave and even deadly.
Mr.. Parnell did not despair Of win
ming the Irish landlords to the com.
plete home rule programme. Mr.. John
Redmond is much of the same mind
They have gone one step along the
road; they may be induced by reason
able appeal to their better sense te
go the whole way. Every man in Ire
land, landlord and laborer, Orangemar
and orthodox, ought to be invited
fraternally to save the country from
ruin. To abolish sectarianism ant
! class antagonism is one Of the mos