The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1910-12-17
Victory Soon to Smile on Nation
alist Party, Says Prominent
Irish Leader.
Doom of the Veto Power of the
House of Lords Indicated
by Elections.
Struggle to Amend British Consti-
tuition to be Fiercest Con-
test of Century.

Premier Asquith has pronounced
ilome Rule for Ireland the leading
issue in the present campaign. This
momentous pronouncement was made
in a small school house of a remote
village in Scotland, but already it has
stirred the whole British islands and
eclipsed all other issues in the fight
says T. P. O'Connor in a special cable
gram to the Chicago Tribune of last
Sunday.
The pronouncement was made in
! answer to a "heckler," as that typical
disturber of British political meet
ings is called.
"Is it the TRUTH" asked this check
ler,' chat if the Liberal government
is returned to power in this election,
it will give Ireland a measure Of
Home Rule?"
"My reply" said Asquith, "is 1T is.'"
Thunderclap to Liberals Foes.
The precision, firmness and candor
Of this answer On the part of man
so frigid and cautious and so deter.
mined to concentrate this election on
! the issue Of the House of Lords comes
as thunderclap to all of the ene-
mics OF the Liberal party, and it is
| a great aid to Redmond's fight.
! Though Redmond was we'll aware
that it was Asquith's intention to give
Irish Home Rule an immediate chance,
the carpers and factionlsts in Ireland
Lave been insisting that Asquith was
trickster and that Redmond was
his dupe. But now even the Dublin
Independent, chief supporter of the
Healy faction, confesses that AS
quith's declaration leaves no more to
be said and is entirely satisfactory.
Thus Home Rule at last is unde-
niably before the eyes Of all men and
is definitely in sight. For the gen.
eral election practically is over, and
the government will return with un-
broken strength to the House of Com
mons. This second declaration against
the lords ends their existing powers.
Seek to Evade verdist.
The Tories, however, are continu-
ing to use every device possible to
evade this final and crushing verdict.
A. ]. Balfour, leader Of the opposition,
who in vain threw over his protec-
ton Of the House of Lords and even
the plural voting which robs the Lib
erals Of innumerable seats in the ef-
fort to escape defeat, now follows an
other line of retreat
Balfour practically demands third
election, following closely the lead Of
Lord Rosebery, who declared that II
the Liberals lost even five seats 1t
would preclude them from proceeding
| with the attack on the lords.
This ridiculous pretension already is
being laughed out Of court. I have no
doubt that the Liberals will propose an
| anti-veto bill on the first night Of the
new parliament, will proceed with it
promptly, and when it is rejected by
the lords, will call upon the king to
create enough new peers to carry the
measure through the second cham
Der.
| King Will Not Refuse Request.
The king undoubtedly will not re-
fuse this request. But if he should,
Premier Asquith must, by his pledges,
Immediately resign and leave Balfour
face to face with a hostile majority
| in the House of Commons which
would throw him out of office the next
day.
| Already the Tories are sending up
a new flag of truce and are suggest
ing new conference, but the Liberal
opinion will not permit another con-
ference and the doom OF the veto pow.
er Of the lords is clearly pronounced.
The only outstanding question is
the date of the execution Of the Lib.
cra1 program. The fight will con.
tinue to be fierce, for both sides are
aroused to feverish heat, as the tre.
mendous struggle over the country
and the narrow majorities in 80 many
Of the elections prove. but the end of