Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1911-11-11
viii be Efforts Of Enemies TO Defeat
the Irish Home Rule
Bill
Details of Measure Will Not BE
Made Known Until
February.
Redmond Will Demand All That
Ireland Can Reason
ably Ask.
GAINS FAVOR IN ENGLAND

In his weekly cable T. P. O'Connor
tells that the disappearance of inter
est in the insurance bill, which will
be law before Christmas, increases
the tendency already noticed to a
gradual submergence of every other
issue but home rule. The Tories,
Joined by small Irish factionist
group of eight under O'Brien and
Healy, now are attempting a new
plan of campaign to defeat the home
rule bill. They demand the imme-
diate production of the details OF
the measure, although the measure
can not be introduced in the House
of Commons until the end of next
February or perhaps the first week
in March. No such thing ever has
been done or even demanded pre-
viously in Parliamentary history.
The object of the maneuver is to
kill the measure before Il is intro
duced by virulent, mendacious or in
sane criticism. Thus in Ireland the
factionists and cranks declare al
eady that If the measure do not con-
tain impossible conditions, 1t must
be rejected. The female suffragists,
for example, declare If it do not
prejudice instead of leaving to the
Irish assembly the question of a
female vote they will reject the bill.
Others shout that unless the bill
gives Ireland the power of raising a
protective tariff against England the
bill is worthless, we'll knowing that
Parnell accepted the measure in
1886 which contained no such pro-
vision.
If the bill in detail is prematurely
revealed the Tories in England
would try a campaign of assassina-
tion on different line, representing
It as involving gigantic financial
loss to England. This indeed now is
one of the favorite cries of the
Tories, and the Tory papers publish
fantastic inventions every day, as,
for example, that ireland will de-
mand a subsidy of $120, 100000 be-
fore starting home rule. Premier
Asquith has met these demands with
an fey refusal to say one word in
anticipation of the details, but add
ing that everybody knows the main
lines and the chief principles OF the
measure. What this declaration
means is that Asquith and all the
other Ministers realize it is absurd
to propose any measure grudeing,
or unduly fettered or anything short
of full self-government.
The present position of the bill,
understand, is that the committee of
the Cabinet which dealt with II has
completed the draft and the bill is
before Asquith himself and later will
come before the Cabinet. OF course
no bill will be proposed unless the
Ministry is assured OF the support of
Redmond and his party, and Red
mond will not accept any bill which
does not give all Ireland can
reasonably ask.
Home rule meetings all over Eng
land are still going ahead and
everywhere there is the same en-
thusiastic reception to the Irish
members. Redmond captured this
week a big audience of leading busi-
ness men of London at the City
Lilebar Club, which formerly was
rent in twain by the home rule
fight, but which now is almost SOL
idly in its favor.
Another of the problems of the
home rule solution is the protection
that ought to be given for the min
orities, social and religious and
political, in Ireland. AS to the gen.
eral principle of every kind OF safe
guard being offered that the minor
lty can ask, there would be no
difference of opinion. The Irish
Nationalists not only do not reject
but invite every kind OF protection
that the ingenuity OF man or the
practice OF other nations can sug-
gest. I may sum up the whole Irish
grievance by saying that 10 years
after Ireland lost it's Parliament to-
day, while its population has been
halved. it's taxation has been
doubled. These were the facts
which were brought out by a royal
commission appointed some years
ago by Gladstone. That commission
startled the whole world by report
NhH AAAaA ~ tlahN 40 ON0I-
taxed some $15.000.000.
This report has formed the battle
ground OF Ireland for some years.
and there have been innumerable de-
bates upon II IN the House OF Com
mons and the House OF Lords. No
direct redress has been given, but
redress has come in a curious and
Indirect way.
When old age pensions were given
to the three kingdoms. II was not
realized that Ireland. having far
more old people. who were also
poor, WAS about TO get far larger
share OF the pensions than any other
part OF the country The old age
penslons are an imperial tax. and
therefore Ireland got out OF II far
more than II gave.
There have been other gains by
ireland OF land purchase. for In
stance. with the extraordinary result
that the balance TO a certain extent
has been reversed. and that a year