The Irish standard., 1905-04-08
The Irish Party Will Support No Liberal
Government That Takes Rssebery's
View of Home Rule.
Liberal Leaders Forced to Take Heed of the
Irish Demand that the Union be
Either Ended or Mended.

Lord Rosebery is one of these. Liber-
alism will be a gamer if it allows Lord
Rosebery to go on ploughing his lone.
ly furrow There will never be any
Liberal harvest reaped of his sowing.
That, however, is a domestic uues-
tlon for the Liberal party. What con-
Germs Ireland is that there should be
no misunderstanding regarding the DO
sition OF the Irish. party. Mr.. Red
mond's speeches make that position
perfectly plain. 1--WE will support and
keep in Office in the next Parliament
declares the Chairman of the Irish
party, mo Liberal Government which
takes the Rosebery view of Home Rule
for Ireland" And should such gov
ernment be constituted independently
of the Irish vote it will receive an
active Irish opposition. Of the two
Unionisms, the Conservative variety
is, on the whole, the more tolerable.
1t has the merit of having no broken
pledges on the Home Rule question
behind it. A government of pledge
breakers would receive short shrift
from the Irish opposition. Mr.. Red
mond's plain dealing should clear the
air of all mystification. 1t is only fair
to the Liberal party that it should
know there can be no hauling down
of the Irish flag, without reverting to
the position before 1886. Irish Nation
alists are not eager for quarrel with
the representatives of the British
Democracy. On the contrary, they are
anxious that the genuine interests of
both peoples should be advanced in
friendly cooperation. But such a CO.
operation would be rendered impos-
sible if the Liberal party as a whole
accepted the spurious Imperialism of
Lord Rosebery, and followed him in
his recantation of the old Liberal prin.
ciples.
But Mr.. Redmond's powerful re-
minders have had their effect already.
The Liberal-Imperialists have begun
to explain themselves on the subject
of Ireland, and to explain away good
deal that had been placed to their
record That is a sign of the times,
which needs no comment. Sir Edward
Grow uo -
If the Liberal party did not get a
majority independent of the Irish vote,
the Liberals ought not to take Office
otter the next general election. The
reporter, it is now explained, was to
blame. The Westminster Gazette" of
Friday last states that the last SEN
tence of Sir Ewdard Greys speech
should read-"But if the Liberal party
had not a majority over the Unionist
party, his opinion was that they had
better not get into power at ALL" His
semi-oficial eXpositor explains what
this means. In the case of a defeat
of the UniOnist party there are three
possible alternatives-"(a) The num-
ber of Liberals might be less than the
number of Unionists, but the Unionist
majority over the Liberals might be
less than the number of Nationalists.
This was the position after the
general election of 1892, when the
numbers where: Liberals, 274, Union
lists 315, Nationalists 81. b) The
number of Liberals might be more
than the number of Unionists, but the
Liberal majority over the Unionists
might be less than the number of
Nationalists. This would be so if the
numbers were (say)-Liberals 300,
Unionists 2SS, Nationalists 50. (c)
The number of Liberals might be more
than half the House. This would be
so if the numbers were (say)-Liber.
|alists $40, Unionists 24S, Nationalists
S2." 1t is only on supposition (a) that
Sir Edward Grey is against the Liberal
party taking Office. He is quite willing
to accept Office on supposition (b).
The distinction upon any theory that
recognizes the right of the Irish
people to be represented even at West
minister is fine-drawn one Sir Ed
ward Grey will take Office by per-
mission of the Irish party, bur ne Will