The Detroit times., 1910-12-10

oh thot 40 SiSos anu bioiiou anu SoNu
in England.
II the Conference had had under
consideration u political quarrel,
financial question, social problem
or anything other than fundamental
constitutional issue, there Is little
doubt but that compromise would
have been reached The Englishman
swears by compromise. Ii repre-
sents the fair-play doctrine OF give
and-take and II is by series of com
promises that John Bull has cement
ed the stones of his unmatched ma
tional edifice. The British Constitu.
ton is nothing more than a series OF
compromises, more often expressed
in gentlemen's agreements than In
official proclamatiops. The King is
bound to act by the advice of his
ministers as result OF long series
OF compromises In which the Crown
gradually gave up one after another OF
its prerogatives in exchange for the
boon OF its perpetuation.
The most difficult purely political
problem in British affairs is the Irish
question. Ireland has been ruled
against It's will by the English for
matter OF seven hundred years. A lit
tie more than a century ago its sep
arate parliament was extinguished by
the treachery OF its own representa-.
tives. corrupted by English promises
and brides. Ever since the passage
OF the Act OF Union" the Irish have
been struggling by every means at
hand TO get back their freedom, at
least as far as their internal affairs
were concerned. In the past half-cen
fury the nature OF their demands has
been expressed by their slogan Home
Rule for Ireland
Mr.. Gladstone, the great Liberal
leader, gradually progressing toward
complete democracy. suddenly decld-
ed to give the Irish what they wanted.
Under his leadership the Commons
passed bill giving Ireland its long
prayed-for Home Rule. The bill was
rejected In the Lords and an appeal
was had TO the country. What re
manned OF the old Wing arislocracy
in the Liberal party deserted the
Gladstone banner and. calling them
selves LiberalUnionists, Joined with
the Tories. The Liberals were de-
feated and for years were unable To
regain power except at the price OF
suppressing Home Rule. The issue
was 80 great in interest and import
ance that the name "Unionist" after
a time superseded the name Con
sentative" as the official title of the
major faction OF the Tory party. The
Liberals, mindful of their disaster
under Gladstone and being. after all.
nothing more nor less than English
men, were chary OF opening the Irish
question.
In the parliament elected last Jan
uary the Irish party held the balance
OF power and John Redmond, the
Irish leader, became the dictator" OF
! England 1t was very fine for Eng
land To rule ireland. but many Eng
lishmen soon found that IL was posi-
Bile under the terms of the union for
Ireland TO rule England very differ
ent matter. So there arose in the
Unionist party strong sentiment in
favor OF going back on their record OF
seven centuries, and on their very
name. that they might win Irish favor
by conserving TO a federal home rule
/ plan which would place Ireland In
the same relation TO the Kingdom
1 that Ohio bears to the American
Union or that Ontario bears TO the
DOMINION OF CdnaOd.
! Acute as is the Irish question. the
apparent willingness Of the Unionists
( to consider a compromise indicated
that If the Conference OF Eight had
been called upon TO decide the vexed
question of Home Rule an agreement
! would have been reached. But the
! time had come when Home Rule was
/ only one OF the many things that the
/ democratic element demanded as its
right. The controversy between the
Lords and the Commons could not be
quieted by a deal with an Irish poll
! tician
| Neither the Irish nor the Liberals
were willing TO accept this sop. The
! Liberals wanted To have the right TO
! control the government when I'm pow
| er on an equal basis with Conserva-
tives when in power and to do this
, tEey must remove the veto power OF
| the Lords. The Irish were convinced
/ that they never would get more than
| half loaf until the Lords were hurled
| from power. The coalition stood In
spite OF all the efforts made TO break
| II, and in spite of the olive branches
! held out by the now thoroughly
| heightened Tories.
! No one knows what was said In the
! Conference, but IL Is generally be-
lieved that other political questions
were discussed and that there was
room for compromise on all Of them.
as well as on the much-mooted Irish
question. But the Conservatives
would not yield in their adherence to
! the principle that the upper chamber
ought tn represent certain interests
removed from the people and that
/ these interests might Of right negative
the peoples will as expressed by their
chosen representatives. On the othr
hand, the Liberals would not yield one
! jot or title from their declared prin.
ciple that the Commons ought to havs
| the right to enact into law any meas
ure thrice agreed upon within the
| lifetime OF a single parliament.
When the Conference broke up there
| was nothing TO tell. Both sides came
out as they went in. Each was deter.
mined TO place its propositions before
the people. The electors were given
the same arguments that were made
in Conference In essence. and now
they are speaking their will.
The Liberals said the campaign was
that of the People against the Peers
! The Conservatives said the campaign
ives that of the Constitution against
| the Demagogues. Everybody had an
opportunity to Judge for himself and
to vote as he saw fit--that is provid.
| ing n, had vote. Some free Eng
| lishmen have no vote at all, and 9th.