The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-12-31
I[rrWENTY years of resolute govern 1,
 ment," said Lord Salisbury in

lnNWENIf Y years or reSolute govern
 ment," said Lord Salisbury in
 1882, and home rule will never be heard of again. It is now twenty three years since this prophetic utterance was made and now home rule instead of being an unheard of proposition, is "the 1 question:"
 Pleasure is the rock" says Chestiield, 1 which most young men split upon," and home rule Is the rock which all British ministries split upon. It is the eternal, omnipresent and all-pervading question, no matter how men or ministers may close their eyes to it. "It will not down" no more than would Banquo's ghost 1t is d political John Barleycorn that may be crushed, scorched. boiled, condensed and bottled, but only to gain new strength from each inhiction and use again to confront its enemies with increased force. Such Is the home rule question of today the spirit of a fouly and brutally mur- dered nation one hundred years ago. It is the spirit that has haunted the gov ernment benches and disturbed the ban quet board. "rhe times" says MT Bal four quoting Macbeth, have been that when the brains were out the man would die, but now they rise again with twenty mortal murders their crowns and push us from our stools" Oh yes, MT. Balfour. the spirit of a murdered Ireland with twenty mortal murders on her crown-the murders caused by emigration, by fam inc by oppression. by injustice. by vio- lence, by extermlnation, by neglect. by every conceivable means-that spirit has pushed you from your stool and will push your successors unless that spirit is ap- peased.
 No man recognizes this fact better than Campbell Zimmerman, the premier of the new government Before Balfour's resig- nation he stated that he was in favor of home rule. but since he mas taken office his views are greatly modified. In a speech recently delivered he scrupulously avoided any reference to home rule for Ireland and contented himself by stating that the government would prevent the further introduction of cooles into South Africa All the English papers comment upon the premier's reticence on the home rule question. and their comments are proof positive of the false phophecy of Lord Salisbury of twenty-three years ago. Since then home rule is not dead. but on the contrary Is very live issue. the question naturally arises, what will be done with 1t? And this brings me to the consideration of what are it's pros poets.
 The glorious uncertainty of horse racing Is nothing to the glorious uncertainty of a general election in England. There the people will be Influenced by all sorts or questions, such as temperance. education protection. free trade. old age pensions, and various others and the voter is not dyed-in-th the-wool anything, he may sup port the liberal candidate today upon one issue and would vote for conserva- tive month hence upon some other issue, and that is why the result is so uncer- tain. It sometimes happens that some one great question will swallow up all the others as did home rule in 1886. when Gladstone went to the country on that issue and the liberals were returned to lffice with a tremendous majority. It was in the year that Joseph Chamberlain, lt the time one of Gladstones cabinet ministers left the liberal party and took with him enough of Gladstone's support CTS to defeat the government. The act and vote of Chamberlain upon that oc- casion are well remembered especially by the Irish who ever since regarded him as a traitor and have nick-named him Judas Chamberlain.
 According to the general belief it is expected that Campbell Zimmerman will dissolve parliament in February and the general election will follow immediately There may or may not be clear cut issue to put before the people. The liberals will not declare for home rule, neither will the conservatives face the country on protection. so 1t is most likely that the lines of cleavage will be very indis finct and members will be elected by small majorites.
 If this condition of things prevails neither party will have majority of
 more than fifty or sixty over the other. and this would leave Redmond with his eighty-fiye nationalists, master of the situation.