The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1911-11-25

Parliament has supreme power. If In
Canada or Australia or South Africa,
I care not where the local Parliament
attempted to enact laws to violate the
civil or religious rights of any creed
or class the Imperial Parliament
would have the right and power, and
most undoubtedly would exercise it to
step in and prevent the injustice. We
in Ireland when we get our free con-
stitution are not likely to deliberately
cut our own Threats, and the man who
In the Irish Parliament would at
tempt to propose violent or revolu-
tionary motions or who proposed any
thing in the nature of religious intol-
erance would be regarded as a public
enemy, and would have against him
a combination Of men of all parties. I
noticed that in his speech yesterday
Mr.. Balfour made an appeal to the
Nonconformists of England to help
him to defeat Home Rule. 1 don't ex-
actly know for whom, at present, Mr.
Balfour is entitled to speak. He GER
tainly apparently can't speak for the
Unionist Party; but what claim has
he, in any case, to speak for the Nom
conformists of England? Why, he and
his Party are the lineal political des-
ccndants of the men who in the past
opposed every extension of liberty to
the dissenters Of England, aye, and
opposed those extensions Of liberty to
Nonconformists when-I am proud to
remember and recall the fact-Daniel
O'Connell and the Catholics of Ireland
were amongst the champions Of that
extension of liberty.
Mr.. Balfour further said that he ad-
dressed the Nonconformists eighteen
years ago. and that they defeated
Home Rule. THAT is a libel" de-
clared Mr.. Redmond Home Rule
was not defeated by the Nonconform-
lists of England. The overwhelming
England supported Home Rule then,
and support it now and Ireland was.
and Ireland is, deeply grateful to them
for it. The people who rejected Home
Rule were the House of Lords, the
same men who rejected - two. and
three, and four times-measures that
and liberties Of Nonconformists. To-
day, happily, the House of Lords have
been defeated by the people, and the
result will be that both the Irish and
Nonconformists will get justice in
spite of Mr.. Balfour and his Party.
With the educational grievances Of the
Nonconformists of this country l al
ways have been largely in sympathy.
Their ideas and our ideas on the ques-
ton of UNCONVENTIONAL education are
different; but the grievance that they
suffer from in this country is indie
feasible and intolerable, and l declare
! and my colleagues are only too anXi-
Gus to find an opportunity Of Joining
hands with them and in removing that
grievance at the earliest possible mo-
ment.
This question of Home Rule" con-
cluded MI. Redmond lies at the root
OF ali Liberal principle. Trust the
people. II you do not, your policy and
your party are sham and a fraud.
l ask you to trust us-we who have
fought your battles and have given
to your Empire some Of its greatest
governors and statesmen we, here by
Your shores, who are not very differ
ent In nature, after all, from your
selves-why will you not trust us?
Believe me. the day you do trust us
and I know that day is at hand-the
day that you trust us will be the hap
piest and the most blessed day, not
only for Great Britain, but for the
welfare, the unity and the greatness
Of the Empire"