The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1911-02-04

W oAAo
another. 1t cannot be free from faults.
There will be at Dublin, as at West.
minister, intrigues, manoeuvres, petty
ambitions, mean jealousies, and yet we
may hope for an ascendency Of parlia-
mentary feeling, a sense of a body
the members of which must in the end
be found working for the common
good. A little leaven leaveneth the
whole lump. Even few members
with reasonable security in their posi-
ton may unoonsciously or almost un-
consciously exercise an influence that
cannot be gainsaid. Our best assur-
ance for the future must be found in
the composition of parliament repre-.
senting all Ireland. We are lamenting
the premature death of Henry Butcher,
somewhat too elegant, some would say,
for the rough work Of house Of COM
mons. But man of his distinction
should always be welcome in consulta-
ton and debate. Let me recall a
close personal friend, the late J. Il.
Cairnes, thorough Irishman, true
patriot, with a brain and a heart to
Go his country the best service. I
might run over large list of men of
the past Of all professions and of di-
verse creeds, ecclesiastics and lay
men, farmers and even landlords, mer-
chants and students, whose successors
are still to be found in the land and
should be brought together, if by any
means we find this possible. We
shall never accomplish all We may de-
sire, but il we try we can do some
thing. Some may fear that an as
sembly thus constituted would be too
authoritative. I think myself it would
be more authoritative than the house
of commons has become, and would,
in fact, resume something Of the earlier
character of that body; but this, in
my Judgment, would be good. Min
listers would still be in it exercising
would depend upon its support for
their existence. Their fate would not,
however, be bound up with every vote,
and the rigor of party discipline would
be abated. I hope you will allow your
mind to ponder over the advantages
and disadvantages of this probable
change. Do not let the successes that
have been consequent on the severe
discipline Of the Nationalist party fore
close the question. Here in London
our quasi-intellectual press begins, !
must be pardoned the word, to drivel,
when the leaders whom we know to
be capable Of detached thinking fall
into the attitude, and use the language
Of mere idolatry. would most earn
estly beg for an interval Of quieter
tend clearer thought.
How can we obtain for Ireland such
a representative assembly as l have
been sketching? We must be content
with an approximation to it, but the
field is open If we dare to enter upon
it. l suggest that III Ireland we could
certainly have two, probably three,
constituencies returning five members
apiece, and that the rest Of the coun.
try could be divided into three.mem-
bered constituencies. With such con.
stituencies, and with the provision that
no voter should give more than one
effective vote to one candidate, the
necessary machinery would be estab.
liRhed. Dublin and Belfast are obvi-
ously the two flve-membered constitu-
encies, and the members they return
would have an authority due to an as
surance of the permanency Of their
representative position. The varied
elements Of national life would indeed
reappear with fresh vigor in the new
assembly. You will ask whether cleo
tors can be trusted to play their part
in this transformation. They would
not be, I am sure, without assistance,
though they would be free to walk
alone If SO minded, and in truth we
have now sufficient experience to war
rant our being confident that the work
would be done and well done. l will
not weary you with recitals Of repeated
successes in Switzerland, in Belgium,
in Danish towns, in parts of Germany.
in Sweden and elsewhere. Take only
two facts. In Johannesburg and Pre-
toria, with celebrates confused in
origin and in character and of many
mixed tongues, there have now been
municipal elections twice conducted
on the plan I would use in Ireland
with results giving the highest salts
faction to all parties and interests con
cerned, naturally, it may be said, sc
conflicting. The other fact l would
quote comes from poor remote Fin
ckoh ie1,, 30 ~