The sun., 1910-02-17
THE IKESR QUESTION.
Home Rule Football OF Party Politics m
EmGIanh.

Home ROLE . Football OF Party Politics N
England.
| To TIE EDITOR or THB gUK-Sir: We
can never understapd British politics II We
Judge parties only by their speeches and
their professions and IL we'do not remember
| the English saying that liberal measures
are passed By the Conservatives, conscrva-
tive measures by the Liberals" The Conser-
natives enacted Catholic emancipation, the
appropriation OF the irish landlords. Irish
local government. the reduction OF the Irish
contribution to imperial expenditure, the
Queens College lthe same in principle as the
new Irish nniversity). the Royal University
and intermediate education, the establish
ment Of Catholic schools In England upon an
equality with the public schools: and when
in oppoeition Balf0ur and his party en-
| abIed BIrrelI and the late Sir Henry Camp
boil ll-Bannerman to give the Irish Catholics
q university In spite OF the hostility OF the
Libsral party 70 denominational institu-
| tions. No one who remembers how Dis
rseli In 1873 split the Liberal party and up
set the Gladstone Go overnment on that very
question can doubt that half OF the present
Liberal party would have voted against
Catholic irish university II the opposition
had held up standard for them to Join.
On the other hand the present Liberal
or Radical party has reorganizcd the army.
i e6UA Lu0 VOTr1VOTMl army N41 ShN
Liberals in 1889 established the Volunteers.
induced the oversee nations to take
| their share in naval defence. strengthened
| the British naval reserves, unified South
Africa and inserted In its Constitution the
principle OF racial inequality All these
measures would be regarded as the essence
| OF conservatism or Imperialism but that they
have proceeded from the Liberal party.
Such is the binding influence OF party
names. It was the Liberals who extended
the income tar 70 ireland the ConseryMa. va
tiyes had exempted lrelandl. waged the
wars Is and d the I criinssn ear wa war. and put dorn
; Sslsh aiS y ~ @ @Sss:s5ys.lss ; leader TsSatsd
judge Spd ao.osn. SSi sH tRsr ST' deeds h.S
stro.psf. ~ s sSss sSs Liberal. SEEM Ra4ic.s
turn for the Irish vote and hs. shssIy sIyy
DO ss Without pISas Getting T that T support. Hence
1ssy sy would dSsH So noss Il @ they S had
pect Of eettlpg Irish support. if the Cor;
sS eve Tss sanoth.r
kick. beSSuse there would s Be no 0pposl-
Hp The N root aS q The the tTSSSi. SesSssn England
and Ireland lies in the English party sys-
sS Sqss SS Fatsfr PSsSssopSsr Ss5ss sSs dses
sTs SSs.sF 3 q SsGa that so. 4
their fellow .ctlSsns- who ,PSIiticslIy are
ff1is liberal. 2 oosmopolIts a and T 4 phiosopSer,
remarks that the English are more addicted
~ seen yy any other People TO takinx AKIN tn the part part
ernments Herbert Spencer. also a!Liberai,
q cosmoDolite and a pbllOsopher. pointed
there IL also bias Of anti atriotism.
Coleridge, even whom q Radical. remarked
.d II ssrs wsr aa~y IL an main
tanning that their own country was In the
wrong and the foreign enemy IN the rtgnt;
being always Without exception IN the
1SsptiOn anf In tas he rsss sas' frssna ~sFs
foreign country TO the English doubtless
Soss be as fa sS hs
for when Ireland was 9 foreign country |
70 them they were perfectly friendly to
tercourss between the. two Stands save |
for mutual service and no rivalry save in |
gs dsR thai Sa Sq tyrants igS sSS
'IG% from ss s.y xa. 81. nSss hs Sn
the IRISH. and the sS IRISH Of course
to ask themssiyss: ' II those two small Stands
in the intervals between their little "dif- |
IorenCoB nave OV9FTun the WOrlO, WhAg
might not they do II the English would |
learn TO agree with the Irish and give them
free hand and q good backingp
IL is tntereeting to note Colertdge's ex-
PLANTATION OF the cosmopolitan and factious
character Of islanders. In the first place. |
he says. for islanders the foreigner 10 further
away than for people dwelling on the con-
tLnent, and distance lends enchantment to |
the view. In the ne 1t place those islanders
being protected by the feet from invasion
the thought of war neither brings the MEN,
ory OF past invasion TO make them hate the
enemy tas European nations hate one an
other) nor the fear OF invasion. which alone
could unity people and put down all party
divisions. And II the faction nghting goes
on In var, much more OF course It goes on
In time Of peace. The Irish suffer from
the effects of English party spirit precisely
because they are not regarded as foreign
ers but as fellow citizens belonging to an
opposite party. II they were foreigners.
even IL they were enemies, the London
Times would use toward them the high
toned courtesy which II does toward the
Germans: but because they are only fellow
citizens forming an opposite party the
Tin!es speaks OF them as It does OF its own
Radical countrymen, though IL Ia very hn-
just 70 the Irish Nationalist to put them
on level with the Radicals Of Britain, since
II ireland had home rule 1t IL the NATIONAL |
lists who would be the Conservatives and the
Unionists who would be the Radicals.
IL is IN party spirit then that the root Of
country of either island or Of both can do
anything TO cure that evil y more than
eOC1pSTEp Eahruarv "A