The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1911-11-11
could be fairly charged with any OPP
on the ground OF reli-

could be fairly charged with any OPP
pressiveness on the ground OF reli-
gion.
There never will be such a law even
thought of in an Irish parliament, /
know, but still there wouldEbe no harm
in providing against it. There would
be in the new Home Rule bill, as in
the old, provision that no church
should be established or endowed by
the state. The Irish Catholic has al
ways for centuries kept up his church
by voluntary subscription and has per-
sistently resisted all attempts to bind
1t in chains to the state. He is not
likely to wish for any position for his
church in the future, but still let the
provision go into the Irish constitu-
ton.
The protection Of the wealthy mi
nority presents q bigger difficulty, If
difficulty there be at all, than the pro-
lection of the men of the Protestant
religion. In Ireland, as in every coun-
try, there Is always the risk Of hasty
OF inequifable legislation upon the
impulse of some passionate outburst
Of the hour. In most countries, this
peril is met by the constitution of a
second chamber. Gladstone tried an
other method which obtains in the
ecclesiastical constitutions when bish-
ops. clergy and laymen meet together
to legislate.
Two Orders Proposed.
Gladstones proposal was that the
Irish parliament should consist of two
orders, one chosen on a low and the
other on high suffrage. The two
orders would sit together. but If there
were dispute, the vote would have
to be taken by orders and be carried
by q majority In both the one order
and the other. That method of deal
ing with the case had the merit of the
joint session, and that is always to
the good, but it was cumbrous in some
particulars. It may be ultimately de-
cided in Ireland, as it has been in so
many of the provinces Of Canada. that
a single chamber is more practical and
workable than two chambers, or it
may be decided that there shall be a
small second chamber consisting OF
nominated members, and giving the
right only of criticism on delay. all
the rights that are likely to be left
to any second chamber after the close
of the big struggle in England. which
has ended in the abolition Of the abso-
lutte veto of the House of Lords.
However, l pronounce no final opin-
ion, and 1 believe the matter Is still
subjudicle and probably will not be
decided for some weeks after the re-
opening of parliament.
/ may dismiss briefly two or three
other of the questions of detail. For
instance, there will be difference of
opinion as to what the size of the new
assembly should be. The Irish repre-
sentation in the imperial parliament
al the present moment is 103, and that
would form fair number for an Irish
House Of Commons. but some people
think 1t would be we'll to make the
assembly double that size, so as to
give small towns not represented now,
the pride and sense of communion
with the assembly which would come
from having a member within Its
walls.
The real crux, however, Of the whole
Home Rule settlement will be the fin
ancial question. This is q problem SO
large and SO complicated that I cam
not undertake to give you more about
1t than It's broad outlines. The grlev-
ance of Ireland with regard to taxa
vertible fact that Ireland is a poor,
and England rich. country, and that
one country is nation of small peas
ant proprietors, and the other in the
main, q nation Of manufacturers and
workmen in cities. To put it famil-
tarly, 1t Is q poor relation having to
live in the same house and on the
same opulent scale Of living as mil
nonaire cousin. The expenditure Of
England necessitated by her world
wide empire and by the serious i'm
periling of her naval supremacy
through the competition of the Ger
man navy, has risen by gigantic
strides until it is now almost appall-
ing, but even this Titanic burden Eng
land can bear, partly owing to her
vast and yearly increase in trade and
wealth, and partly owing to the. new
system of taxation inaugurated by the
famous Lloyd-George budget. But
the burden has become more and more
difficult for a poor country like Ireland