The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1910-03-12

hands, and l believe you will throw
it away the moment YOU pass the Bud
get and trust to luck on another gen.
eral election to get the veto bill. We in
ireland are not going to throw away
that weapon Nationalist cheers). I
will recall to the House what our .ac-
ton was on the Budget last year when
the Budget was introduced l at once
entered my protest against what l re-
garded as an unjust Budget to Ire
land-l regarded every Budget except
the Budget of 1908 as an unjust Budget
to ireland having regard to the Act OF
Union. Except for the Old Age Pen
stones, l do not think ever voted in
favor of the second reading Of Bud
get Dill in this House; my colleagues
and l voted in solid body against the
second reading of the Budget. We OBJ
tanned very considerable concessions
from the Chancellor of the Excheuuer,
Which we acknowledged gratefully at
the time. It is quite true that we alb.
stained from voting on the third read
ing of the bill. There was no question
OF our voting for that. The only question
was whether we should vote against
1t or abstain from voting altogether.
We abstained for two perfectly clear
and distinct reasons First, the large
c0nrpSQiOnC
ment-but that alone would not have
induced us to abstain. We abstained
because of the great constitutional
question which had arisen. 1t was then
certain that the bill was not going to
pass-eVery man in the street knew
that. We knew then that this great con-
stltutlonal issue was going to arrive,
and we declined by vote, which in
practice would have had no effect, to
give any show Of additional strength
to the House of Lords (Nationalist
cheers). That is the reason that We
did not vote against the third reading
of the bill. Today we are prepared
to go further. 1 said the other day
in Ireland, and l repeat here again to-
day Let the right honorable gentleman
give us reasonable assurances that he
Will be able to carry his veto bill into
law this year, and we will not abstain
from voting on the pill-we will vote
for it," (Nationalist cheers). We are
willing to pay that price, but we are
not willing to pay the price for moth
ing-not for an absolute uncertainty
which we believe would end in defeat
and disaster. I do not know what
course the situation will take. The
situation may yet perhaps be saved
1 must say to the prime minister and
his colleagues that I and my friends
on these benches are sincerely anxious
to support them in their efforts to deal
with the House of Lords. We are not
! seeking quarrel, and we are not
seeking to create new crisis. We are
looking It the situation all round; but
in this matter we cannot walk blind
folded-We cannot be a party to a
policy of ploughing the sands once
/, more; of deliberately in our judgment
throwing away the great mandate you
received from the electors at the gen.
, eral election by acquiescing in the
passage Of the Budget and the ending
Of the financial crisis. and also ac-
quiescing in not obtaining the guaran-
tee as to the future Of the veto bill
by acquiescing in going on with the
humdrum work of an ordinary session
of Parliament, until the time may come
when you pass the bill through this
House, and it will be rejected in the
other. Then you will have to go to an
election with fifty times worse chances
for success for yourselves and your
party than you would have if YOU made
! a bold, straightforward step now.
Whatever the prime minister's pledge
! in the Albert Hail. let him say that he
for the government Of tine country I'M
| less he has an assurance that the veto
Of the House Of Lords will be curbed.
Then let him on that issue go to his
countrymen. DO not let him wait until
he is driven to tine country once more
| by the House of Lords. I made a
speech at Dublin the other day which
| attracted more attention in this coun-
try than it deserved, and which has
been misrepresented. l said then, and
l say now, if Mr.. Asquitf is not in Il
position to say that he has such guar
antees as are necessary to enable hin,
to pass a veto bill this year, and if in
spite of that he intends to remain in
Office and try to pass the Budget into
law and then to adjourn. do not care
for how long or now short, the con-
sideration of the veto bill-that is a
policy which Ireland cannot and will
not uphold. Mr.. Redmond sat down