The Irish standard., 1910-11-19
Such is the Way TIP. O'Connor Des-
ignates the Coming Par
liamentary Struggle.
Home Rule Will be One of the Main
Issues of the Approach
ing Elections.
An Increase of Liberal Majority viii
Mean Overthrow of House
of Lords.

+. r. OConnor, who is again back
In London at his post Of duty, sfzes
up the English political situation in n
cablegram to the Chicago Sunday
Tribune as follows: find myself on
my return In the midst of fierce no.
lltical crisis. for the moment 1t starts.
as most civil wars do, with compare.
tive tranquility. The two sets of ne
gotiators. conscious Of the enormous
magnitude of the issues and the Ger.
tain letting loose of the most violent
passions try to stem the tide of self.
denying ordinance, pledging them
selves not to use the proceedings or
proposals Of the conference Al
weapons Of recrimination in the com.
ing struggle.
1t Is doubtful. however, if such self
restraint can stand the ferceness Of
the coming fight. It will be impos-
sible to preserve the cool temper
where issues SO deep and tremendous
are Mt stake and everybody looks at
this struggle as certain to be one Ut
the bitterest in English history.
The hrst impression is that Balfour
has made the biggest mistake of his
life. A general election succeeding
another within twelve months and
coming on top of huge interruption
Of business by the king is loathsome
to all business men and the English.
mans racial love of compromise :
rather than a fight to the bitter end
throws the burden Of the proof on
the tory leader to show that the liberal
concessions should be rejected.
No Hope Of Victory.
All signs prove that the tories will
go into the fight without any hope of
victory At the worst the liberals will
return with the same majority as at
present, but it Is possible they will
win many more seats In the house Of
lords. So unpopular and so undefens-
ibc is the present form that already
that issue has been surrendered by
default.
The unpopularity Of the peers, e.
pecially among the working classes, is
not diminished by the dangerous spirit
of unrest in labor circles and the
fierce rioting Of the strikers in Wales,
coupled with the strikes against the
advance and contracts of the labor
leaders in many parts Of the country.
All these reveal the fierce unrest
and this tide of popular passion may
lash itself into fury against the
house of lords as the most conspicu.
GUS symbol of the anti-Democratic re-
gime Thus rioting on large and
dangerous scale ia one Of the possi-
bilities coming.
| As to the election, the tories are
further weakened and depressed by
their failure in the recent by-elections
to weaken the liberal position. Two
such elections brought back the lib
erals again with the same majorities
as at the last election.
To read the comments Of the union
list journals on these by-elections
would suggest that the next general
election already was fought and al
ready lost. Here are the comments OF
the Birmingham Post, the organ OF
Joseph Chamberlain: "The important
thing for the unionists," says the Post.
Ito recognize frankly Is that the cleo
ton affords no evidence that, since
the general election, the unionists'
principles have made any great pro-
gress in the popular favor"
The Daily Telegraph OF London, an
even more important unionist organ,
is equally pessimistic. "The nine
months intervsl," it says, has not
improved the unionist organization in
the metropolis. 1t will not do. We
cannot face another general election
on that basis"
In the liberal circles, on the other
hand, the confidence is so high that it
is quite possible the general election
may be forced on Immediately.
4 1Iha ljhera1s usually object to an