Omaha daily bee., 1908-02-09
NO HOME RULE NOW
Little Chance for Irish Legislation
This Session of Parliament.
CALENDAR ALREADY OVERLOADED
Government Has Long Program of
English Measures.
UNIVERSITY BILL IS PROBABLE
Indications that This Measure May
Get Through.
IRISH SPORT Is THREATENED
breaking UP Large Eatates Into
Small Holdings Destroy Many
of the Large Game
Preserves.

DUBLIN. Feb S.-(speciaL Nov that
Parliament has reassembled and the Irish
party y once more reunited, speculation
is rife as to what Ireland viii gain in the
way of legislation this session. The opinion
OF those who are best informed is that
bill to establish and endow a Catholic
university in Ireland will be passed and
that this bill will be all that Ireland can
hope for. A strenuous effort will be made
by the reunited party to induce the gov
ernment to bring in a really satisfactory
home rule measure. but no one seriously
thinks that 1t will be successful. The gov
ernmenJ has already burdened itself with
long program of legislation to satisfy its
English supporters and It will have no time
this session to devote to a measure which
would arouse SO much controversy as a
home, rule bill and which would undoubt-
edly be thrown out by the House of Lords
thus necessitating an appeal to the country
at time when the government is i'll pre-
pared for general election.
II is an open secret that the influence
of the hierarchy was the paramount one
in bringing about the reunion of Messrs
William O'Brien and Timothy Healy with
the party. Both are devoted sons of the
church and their influence and experience
will be of great use in assisting in the
framing and conduct through Parliament of
the university bill.
IreIand's sport Threatened.
One effect of the land purchase act which
is now beginning to be felt is the threat
ened ruin of Ireland as a country for
sport. and this is really rather a serious
matter. The preservation of game and the
establishments kept up by the wealthy visi-
tors who came for the shooting and hunt
ing gave employment to a large number
of people and brought a great deal of
money into the country. When the large
estates were broken up and divided among
the tenant farmers arrangements were
made for the sporting rights, except in a
few instances where the landlords, by spe-
cial agreement retained them. The result
has been that the game has not been pre-
served and that it's wholesale destruction
has taken place In several famous huting
and shooting districts the farmers who
have acquired the sporting rights OF their
holdings are seriously discussing oo-opera-
tive effort for the protection of the game
and the suppression of poaching and 1t is
probable that some plan will be worked
out by which the farmers of district will
combine to employ gamekeepers and to let
the sporting rights Of their holdings during
the season.
life in Ireland, was proved by part of
the proceedings at recent meeting Of the
Donegal county council An application
came before the council for the recon-
struction of the bridge connecting Cruit
island with the mainland. AS the bridge
was only built in 1895 and was substan-
ta wooden structure there were natu-
rally inquiries why 1t needed rebuilding and
1t was explained that recently there was
foot ball match on the island and after
the game the lads and lasses assembled on
the bridge for dance. They danced
vigorously that the bridge collapsed and
was swept away, while number of the
dancers had TO swim for their lives. For
tunately, no one was any the worse for
the ducking but since then the eighty
five families who live on the island have
had to carry on their traffic with the
mainland by boat
Islanders of BunbeE.
At the same meeting the council again
discussed the case of the islanders of Bun
beg. who refuse to pay any taxes and
who some time ago marooned the tax col
lector when he visited one OF the islands
to try and collect the taxes due. The col
lector reported that since then he had
been unable to get boat to take him to
the islands at all and that when he ap-
piled TO the police for aid they tried for
week to get a boat, but without sue
cess The most serious feature of the
situation is that the Inhabitants of the
other islands on the Donegal coast have
been encouraged by the success of the
Bunbeg islanders and have determined to
stop paying taxes. The county council
talked for an hour and then decided that
there was nothing It could do in the mat
ter.
Only fifteen persons were killed and
forty-eight injured on the Irish railways
In the last quarter OF 1907 Three of the
killed and two OF the injured were pas
sengers. five OF the killed and forty-one
OF the injured were railway servants and
the rest were classified as 'other persons"
which probably means that they were tres
passers on the lines
Right 60 Fish for EeIs.
An interesting lawsuit which Is now
gs.av tried in Dublin involves the right
of FISHING for cells in Lough Neagh.
which is the largest body of fresh water
IN the United Kingdom. The value of
the right will be understood when II is
stated that quite frequently $4,000 worth
sg cells are taken In single night. The
holders of a grant from Lord Shaftes-
bury are trying to establish the exclusive
right 10 the fishery and TO exclude the
local fishermen, who In turn claim that
King James / established free and
common right OF piscary In and upon
Lough Neagh" and that this right has
been exercised ever since. They also
claim that the Tough is a free and COM
mon inland sea and that no one can es-
tablish any exclusive right TO its use.
1t Is not generally known that Lough
Neagh possesses the dignity of hered-
itary lord high admiral. The honor Is
an appanage OF the marquis OF Donegal,
and the present hereditary naval genius
who Is entitled TO command the defences
OF Lough Neagh against any foreign zoe
As just years old. Other Irish heredi-
tary naval commanders are Lord abbot
OF Malahide. who is hereditary lord ad-
miral of Malahide and all the seas ad-