The Irish standard., 1911-07-22
For Peers to Insist on Shaping Gov
ernment of Ireland is NAL
adroit, Says Morley.
The Opinion of That Country Reck-
lessly Disregarded by Lords
Since Act of Union.
Absentee Landlordism and Absentee
Parliament a Curse to the
Country.

Replying to bitter attack made In
the House Of Lords by Lord LAnS-
downe on the Veto Bill, Viscount Nor
ley whose we'll known sympathies for
Ireland have made him a prominent
figure in the making of two Home Rule
bills, spoke as follows:
do not think it will be possible for
even fastidious opponents Of the nobIo
lords opposite to find any fault with
the temper and the spirit Of the
speech of the noble marquis. He asks
transfer our energies to the construo-
ton Of this new piece Of machinery.
do not think he Is justified in expect
ing that of us. The noble marquis be-
gan by saying the Bill IS monstrous
innovation. ! believe the historian will
say that the most gigantic Of all the
innovations of the last two years is
the noble marquis's own Bill for the
reform and reconstruction of the
House Of Lords.
The amendment may he divided into
two sections. The first portion pro-
vides that any Bill affecting the eN-
istence of the Crown or making Ma
tional Parliament and SO forth should
be subject to particular treatment. but,
then in Subsection (c), and also in
paragraph (2) 1t raises the important
subject of decision by Joint Commit
tee AS to the first portion ] cannot
imagine the House Of Commons pass
ing IL Bill impairing the existence Of
the Crown or the Protestant Success
sion thereto. We cannot conceive that
of t. House of Commons which is not
as devoted to the Monarchy as this
House is today.
National Parliaments.
The noble marquis passed on to the
which establishes a National Parlia-
ment or Assembly or National Coun-
Gil in ireland, Scotland, Wales or Eng
land with legislative powers therein.
EIe very naturally defended that sx-
cluson from the operations of tho Bill
by saying that Constitutional changes
in nearly all other countries arc re.
garded exceptionally and that excep-
tional provision is made for them. The
noble marquis at once saw the DIM
Guilty, but / will use the stronger word
discover a formula to distinguish a
Constitutional change from an Uncon-
stitutiOnal change In country like
our own, where you are living under
what still Is an unwritten constitution.
If you have written constitution az
some OF the Colonies have 1t is quite
easy to know whether a proposed
/ change is constitutional or not That
does not apply in this country. The
noble marquis then referred to the
question of self government for Ire
land, and contended that we have no
, authority for thinking Of Home Rule
Bill that the country has not been con-
suited upon and that the country did
not dream of Home Rule Bill. IL
that be SO then our electors must be
the most extraordinary dupes to be
found in any country. | cannot desist
from quoting two passages from
speeches delivered by the noble mar
quis. He said at Glasgow in Novcm-
Der, 1910:
What would happen suppose this
new dispensation comes into force?
Home Rule would go through at once
without further ado.
Having spoken in the North he then
went to the 18th, and at Portsmouth
he said that if the Government were
returning to power the Nationalists
! would be paid in full, and would get
Home Rule of the Parnellite kind. The
noble marquis having warned them
fully, are we to suppose that the
electors paid no attention to what he
said. think may say that no mem
Der of this House at the present day
knows, more than I do as to the diff
culties of constructing q scheme of
Home Rule. was cornered in the
manufacture of two Bills. and am
therefore well acquainted with the