The Irish standard., 1907-06-15
FIGHTING THE LIBERALS.

FIGHTING THE LIBERALS.
Sooner even than could have been
expected, the Irish members have
shown their changed attitude toward
their former allies. the Liberals. At
meeting of the Irish Nationalist
party it was decided TO oppose the
ministry both in the House of Com
mons and their candidates at the by
elections. Some of the Irish members
were in favor of giving the Liberals
another opportunity to legislate for
Ireland. but the majority favored
Steiner measures. The by-election at
Jarrow will give the irish party the
first opportunity to fight a battle fo1
Home Rule in an English constituency
against Liberal candidate. In the
House OF Commons the Nationalists
will take their first stand against the
Liberals by opposing the Army Bill,
and will ask for the establishment OF
an Irish university when the question
for an appropriation for Queens coll
lege. Dublin, comes up.
Mr.. Redmond shows that his atti-
tude has changed in reference to the
policy to be pursued. He said at the
meeting: Another proof has been
won by a. policy of Cancellation alone.
1t can be won only by hard fighting,
vigorous acting in Ireland. an active.
pledge bound, disciplined party in the
House of Commons, thorough or
ganization of the Irish vote in Great
Britain, and it's use absolutely In
dependent of party interest. If the
| Irish people show themselves earnest
on these lines. whatever governmnt
| may be In power will find itself at an
early date coerced into introducing a
bill for the government of Ireland
1t would not be strange. indeed, If
finally the Conservatives. the professed
enemies of Home Rule, were the party
to great Irish demands 1t has been
so in the past. The Liberal party, al
liberal government, has gone into
power pledged to grant measures Of
relief to the Irish people. but in the
past. as at the present, the Liberal
party has been made up Of men of
various views, a coalition of radical
parties. The result has been that that
party has been unable to agree upon
any effective measure. Catholic enan-
cipation in Ireland was Liberal pro-
gram. land reform in Ireland was for
years Liberal policy, but the chief
relief came in both instances from
Conservative governments after the
Liberals had been defeated 1t may
be that now the Irish question will be
the direct cause of breaking up the
great majority which the Liberals
have. and return to power Balfour and
the Cnonists. And it is not inlprob-
able that the latter. in order to pro-
long their lease of power, may make
liberal concessions to the Irish party.
1t would be easier for the Conserva-
tives to grant Home Rule than it is
FOR the Liberals. The Liberals are
really never in power. for they never
have contro, of the House of Lords,
no matter how great the majority in
the House of Commons. The result
is that the House of Lords is able to
defeat measures proposed by the Lib
erals, and thus leave that party in a
position of being unable to fulfill it's
pledges.
A Home Rule measure proposed by
the Conservatives would probably
meet the approval Of the House of
Lords. The Liberal party is in very
much the same position as the Demo-
cratic party. 1t proposes reforms and
carries on an agitation for them until
the people are ready to grant them.
and then surrenders power to the Con-
servatives who grant the desired re-
lief From this time on the Irish Ma
| tionalists will maintain an absolute
| independence of either party in the
House Of Commons as we'll as an in
dependence in elections The Irish
vote in the large cities Of Great Brit
ain is sufficient to control many con.
stituencies. From this time on 1t is
pretty safe to assume that neither
party will secure the assistance Of that
vote for it's candidates without a
pledge to support Irish demands.
BE FAIR TO THE PLAYERS.
An injustice is done to professional
baseball players II one Of them ques-