The Irish standard., 1911-02-04
LIBERALS Confident,
TORIES DEsPA|R|NG
First Cabinet Council Showed the
Liberal Party to be United
in All Sections.
Liberal fapers Are in Harmony and
Regard the Veto Fight as
Already Won.
King DESTROYS of Not Celebrating
Coronation Until fractional
Fights Subside.

rights OuDSlOe.
According to T. P. O'Connor there is
every reason for continued optimism
among Irish leaders regarding the out
come of the coming parliamentary
fight. In his cabled letter to the Chi
cago Tribune of Jan. 20, he says: Be-
tween the two English parties there
remains the same curious contrast
On the liberal side there is confidence
and fixity of purpose and solid unity,
while the tories still quarrel and still
oscillate between the tactics of rea-
son and of despair. The first cabinet
council revealed the absolute unity of
every section of the liberals, every
man realizing that only one course
was possible, namely, to go right
straight on with the fight against the
lords and carry the veto bill, peaceful
ly, if possible, or by the creation of
new peers and any other extreme
measure If war to the bitter end is
proclaimed by the tories.
All of the liberal papers adopt the
same attitude and among the liberals
the hopefulness even goes to the ex.
IRENE length of. regarding the veto
fight as already finished and won.
This optimism leads to cynical dis
belief of all the declarations of dying
in the last ditch" by the tories, but
Austin Chamberlain, second in COM
mand to A. J. Balfour and chief of the
protectionist section, surprised the
world this week by proclaiming his
adhesion to the policy of fighting
without compromise.
Coronation Central Factor.
This may mean a policy of tilibuster.
ing by which the veto bill could be
held up until the coronation and both
sides look to that date as the central
factor in the situation.
The liberals will meet this filibuster-
ing by feverish and fierce tactics in or.
der to hurry up and close the fight be-
fore June Already they propose to
take up all the time of the house of
commons on the veto question. This
step would be revolutionary in parlia-
mentary annals and some growls may
come from certain faddists and Sec
tional leaders, but undoubtedly the
general spirit of all the liberals is to
sacrifice everything, not only to the
veto, but to it's quick termination.
If necessary this drastic action will
supersede the rights of the private
members which have been sacred for
centuries. The liberals may take other
steps such as time may show neces-
sary. On the other hand, the tory party
this session will bring into the house
Of commons a large number of young,
energetic and ambitious men, and
filibustering is the easiest way to catch
the public eye and achieve notoriety.
This may mean an attempt by the
tories to prolong the struggle.
All of these foreshadowings of the
course of the fight may be falsified by
the events as they arise. They also
leave out of account the ardent desire
of the new king not to celebrate his
coronationin the midst Of such a fierce
factional fight among his subjects.
They also leave out of account the
knowledge which at last is within the
mind of even the backwoodsmen that
the liberals look with intense delight
at the prospect of overwhelming the
existing house Of lords with hundreds
Of new papers drawn from such
plebian material as the great shop
keeper and the other self-made men of
the English middle classes.
Redmond has just come to London
and will start private discussion,
doubtless in a few days, regarding the
details Of the home rule measure for
The next year. The absence Of Lloyd
George makes some defficulty in get.
ing to close quarters, he being the most
friendly and nimblest member Of
the cabinet in dealing with all diff
culties especially with 1rishmen, but
+ saw him before he was leaving and
found him much improved in appear
ance, full Of hope. courage and energy