The Irish standard., 1910-07-30
IRISH PARTY
STILL CONTROLS
Scheme to Postpone Royal Declar-
alton Bill is Finally
Abandoned.
The Liberals Are Hopelessly Bound
Up With the Lords in
Many Ways.
Had the Government Kept its Prom
ises it Would Not Now be
in Danger.

lSeS it Would Not Now be
in Danger.
In Il special cable to the ST. Louis
Republic dated at the House of COM
mons, July %, Arthur Lynch, M. p.
, sums up the political situation as fol-
lows:
The royal declaration bill came very
near being postponed to a winter ses-
sion. That fact in itself does not
seem very important, but the inter
pretation throws a luminous beam Oh
parliamentary tactics and on the psy-
chology of statesmen. 1t is from this
point of view that will consider it.
Politics is always so disappointing to
one who desires reform, that for COM
pensation the mind flies to the idea
of considering parliament as a game,
and marking the points irrespective
of principle.
The royal declaration bill, the OBJ
ject Of which is simply to avoid put
ting into the Sovereign's mouth words
which are insulting to Catholics, has
behind it great majority in the House
and the force of public opinion But
religion is always one of those ques-
tions on which it is not difficult to
excite aniinosities in this country and
several organizations under various;
names exist virtually for that pur-
pose.
| Naturally, therefore, the governmer.
would desire to get this thorny ques-
ton out of the way as quickly as
possible. But they were for holding
il over for some months as a political
weapon, till they were forced to pla~
cate the Irish and appease their own
supporters by disposing of the declara-
ton this session. But the fact re-
mains the government does not know
itself whether it intends to play the
straight game, and if it should de.
eide to throw overheard the program
of reform on which it was elected
there still will be trouble in the COM
&, ing fall Despite a grant of $4,000, 900
| to improve Irish cottages, an attack
by the Irish party is not at all i'm
probable, and, perhaps, the balance
of power may be used to throw this
! ont nf nffira in obo,.
and to precipitate a general election
in which the chances of tho Liberals
would be very considerably dimn-
ished.
Their downfall would not he re-
sretted by friends of progress for we
have never seen any party shape 81
meanly at their task as this govern
ment, borne to power OH a wave of
popular enthusiasm. I happened to
be speaking to one of the members
of the Labor party this week who dis
cussed this aspect of affairs with me.
Liberals Bound Up With Lords.
But that" he added. "is the last
thing they want to do. They are
bound up with the Lords in too many
ways. There is hardly prominent
Liberal leader that does not hone to
end his days in the House of Lords
Many of them are related to mem
bers of the House of Lords They are
even chosen for Office on account OF
their family influence. Others ara
chosen on account of their woalt',
and their big subscriptions to party
in this country always associated. Then
~ powerful means Of gaining funds
consists in the honors lists Promi-
nent Liberals are given knighthoods
or raised to the peeragc. All the in
: fuence Of their families and of their
; wealth is therefore devoted to keep
the Liberals be really in earnest il,
destroying the power of the Lords
: when, with the ideas that prevail
amongst them. the Lords are neces-
sary for their own existence?
THE Labor party" he continued
(which ought to be quite independent
and which ought to be continual
} goad to the Liberals to keep them up
to the mark, is really to some extent
affected by similar ideas. There was
a time, for instance. when "Jack
4