Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1911-04-29
Members Amendment
llllceremOniousIy Defeated
on Monday.
Several Speeches Made by Lead
ers OF All Parties In the
Debate.
NOW PASSING POLITICAL CRISIS

The climax in the fight for home
rule for Ireland came in the British
House Of Commons on Monday night,
when an anti-home rule amendment
was defeated by a vote of 2S4 to
100. Since Easter the attendance
had been lax, but during the latter
part of last week the whips on either
side got busy and the attendance on
Monday was unusually large. The
House of Commons sat very late in
the night, and when all were worn
and weary the decisive moment came.
John b. Landslide, Unionist MEM
Der for Mid-Armagh, proposed an
amendment to exclude "any bill to
establish a separate Parliament
for Ireland" The division on
this amendment showed no cross
voting. but a few Liberals, including
Neil Primrose, youngest son OF the
Earl OF Rosebery, ATTAINED from
voting. Premier Asqui and Home
Secretary Churchill during the de-
bate reiterated the Governments in
tention to proceed with the bill for
the reform of the House of Lords
during the lifetime of the present
Parliament.
In introducing his amendment Mr..
Lansdale declared that he wanted to
see the question of home rule en-
tirely eliminated from the con-
troversy over the reform of the
House of Lords. He said the Gov
ernment was at the mercy of the
Nationalists, whose object was to
smash the constitution in order to
dismember the Empire by driving
Ireland into national independence.
He was followed by James Ramsay
Macdonald, Socialist and labor
leader from Leicester. Mr.. Mac
Donald at once took the field in sup
port OF the Irish Nationalists, and
In the course Of his remarks con-
tended that the Daborites were fully
in accord with the Irish in their de-
mands for home ruls. He believed
that the projected treaty of peace
with the United States has been
made possible by the promise of
home rule for Ireland.
A. J. Balfour, leader of the opposi-
tion, took his stand for the Lans-
dale amendment. He said the Gov
ernment had hidden home rule in the
back ground during the elections,
and now hivang surreptitiously at
tanned power they intended to force
home rule down the throats OF the
people. Duncan Vernon Pirie, the
Liberal devolutionist from Aberdeen,
moved an amendment to the amend
ment exempting the establishment OF
an Irish Parliament unless similar
legislatures were granted Scotland
and Wales.
Premier Asquith announced that
the Government was answering in
it's opinion that the people had re-
turned the Liberal party to power
with full knowledge that Ireland
would be given home rule. Mr.
Pirie withdrew his amendment to
the amendment and the vote resulted
in the defeat of Mr.. Lansdale's s
amendment by vote Of 2S4 to 19s
Although the politics of the coun.
try are passing through a revolu-
tionary crisis, the country remains
steady in its attitude OF complete
apathy. No appeals. however pas
sionate, in the all night sittings seem
to have the least power OF making
anyone's pulse beat faster. There
have been some slight personal col.
llsions, but the honest chroniclers
confess that never did a resolution
go to its predestinued end amid such
popular tranquility. The reiterated
debates on home rule are regarded
by the Irish members as an i'm
mence assistance to the Irish cause