Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1911-05-20
Liberals Defeat Tories by Morl
Than One Hundred
Majority.
Debate on Lord LansdOwne's
Bill Renewed But Lacks
Enthusiasm.
PROSPECTS FOR HOME RULE

Slowly but surely the members of
the House of Lords are being over
whelmed, and within a short time
the upper house of Parliament as
now constituted will be but a mem
ory. The fight in the House of
Commons over the Lords veto bill
was renewed on Monday night, when
an amendment to reject the whole
bill was defeated by a vote of 362
to 241. The bill was then passed to
its third reading by the same major
ity. This ends the fight in that
quarter. When the vote was an
nounced several members of the
Liberal party shouted at the Union
lists: Now toe the line and take it
like men," 1t is expected that the
bill will go to the House of Lords at
an early date.
On the same night debate was re-
newed in the House of Lords on the
second reading of Lord Lansdowne's
bill for the reconstitution of the
House of Lords. Speeches support
ing the bill lacked enthusiasm. Lord
Morley, spokesman for the uovern-
ment, insisted that the passage of
the veto bill must precede any set
tlement or compromise with respect
to the upper chamber. He threw
out the suggestion that in any re-
construction of the Lords the num-
ber would be restricted to 100. This
is regarded as foreshadowing the
Governments purpose when the re-
form of the Lords comes before it.
Lord .Lansdowne's scheme for the
reform of the House of Lords has
not won single Liberal and has
made the Liberals now more conf
dent and aggressive than ever. The
Lords have resolved to accept the
veto bill on its second reading. The
Peers will postpone the subsequent
stages until after the coronation and
then will begin an attempt to cajole
the Liberals into a compromise of
some kind. The Liberals will be
asked to drop the veto bill and ac-
cept a new and reformed House of
Lords as a substitute. This sug-
gestion has already been dismissed
by the Liberals. Then the Lords
will propose the dropping of home
rule from the scope of the veto bill.
That suggestion has been rejected
with equal emphasis. All their sug-
gestions having been rejected, the
Lords will finally accept the veto
bill in its present shape, and then
will come the introduction and fight
over the home rule bill.
From all indications the bill will
be passed through the House of
Commons by next summer. If it is
rejected by the Lords a fierce agita-
ton will open in the country. and
some persons suppose that with the
veto gone, the Lords may consent to
some compromise which will relieve
the Liberals and Irish from the
necessity of passing a home rule bill
the second and third time and wait
ing another year before 1t becomes
a law.
Ii is expected that the passage of
a home rule bill will do much to-
ward uniting the English and Irish
masses. 1t will mean the opening OF
a new era of international amity, the
effects of which will spread far be-
yond the frontier of England and
Ireland, and indeed is expected to
pass beyond even the wider limits of
the British empire. Yet this is only
a dream of peace % come. Even
should the Irish be given home rule
tomorrow. even though they would
forgive the British for wrongs of
the past, they can not forbet the
glorious history of Ireland and the
sacrifices and struggles OF her chill
dren for civil and religious liberty
IhrOnPhnnf the last ten caninrias