The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1911-08-05

six weeks the great home rule cam
paign will start in England and Ire
land to end probably like the veto
struggle. That is to say in violent
scenes In the opening struggle, fierce
threats and then the passage through
the house of commons and the rejec-
ton by the house of lords. followed by
a peaceful surrender to home rule as
an accomplished and inevitable fact
Thus it is possible that home rule may
be carried within one instead of two
years, but the fight will be fierce.
Amendments Useful.
These amendments, meantime, and
all the proceedings associated with
them, have been most useful to AS
quith. The amendments, instead Of
showing any recognition by the peers
OF the fact that at two general cleo
tons the country had decided to de-
stroy all their rights 80 interfere with
l1AC 41IloICS VI Tue IldllOll forever ana
day, actually represented Il greater
demand than ever for even greater
control OF finance. Instead of abating
their demands in their hour OF defeat
the peers have put them forward in
even a more offensive form than ever.
They now ask that the question
whether hill &c T.,
a question decided for centuries by
the word of the speaker of the house
of commons. shall be decided by a
joint committee of peers and common
ers in. which the tories and the peers
will be always sure of the majority.
Nay, that is not all. An amendment
has been carried which gives this new
body. called joint committee, the
right to decide whether any measure
whatever is financial. Nay, that is not
all. This committee would have the
right to demand that even where a
measure had been passed by the house
OF commons several times, it should
not become law until there was Il ref
erendum. In other words. the joint
committee, with its tory and peer ma
jority, was to have under it's Damocles
sword every liberal ministry and every
liberal measure; to be able when, how
and for whatever reason it liked, to
demand a general election and in that
way bring to an end the life of any
liberal ministry and of any liberal
for generations the life of ministry
has depended on the vote of the
house Of commons and on that
alone. this demand that it's life
should depend on the house of lords,
and the house of lords alone. reveals
the gigantic lengths to which the inane
arrogance Of the house of lords has
gone
% Peers Won't Be Created.
Most of the public either do not pay
any attention whatever to the antics
OF the house of lords, or, IL they be
strong politicians, turn away in fury
and disgust and bitter. resolution.
Nothing could happen that Asquith
will be forced to create the 500 peers.
For of course If that should happen,
we shall have d house OF lords with a
liberal majority for the next three
years, and during that time, we should
be able to get through home rule and
good many other things, without the
Vexations and perilous delay of two
years which is still possible after the
veto bill passed into law. But of
course it won't come to that. The lords
Will keep up the bluff to the last pos
slble moment, but when that moment
comes they will yield. And probably
the terms they get will be harder the
longer they delay. The indignation
which their arrogance and unteach-
ableness have created. is an immense
help to Mr.. Asquith. 1t will enable
him to propose the most drastic steps
to bring their lordships to their senses.
Quiet as the people are, at this mo-
ment there will be cyclone of pas
sion let loose when we get to real bust
ness again, and l prophesy that there
will be extraordinary enthusiasm
when Asquith filings back the old veto
bill in it's old shape to the house OF
lords, and commands them either to
take 1t or leave it, and then to submit
to the consequences. There might
have been some tendency if it had not
been for their own performance rs to
spare the peers any humiliations that
could be avoided; the liberal temper is
to humiliate them as much as can be
done.
The truth is the English people no